May 15, 2014 – Hanover, MD and Sunnyvale, CA — The Department of Defense (DOD) is one of the largest single consumers of energy in the world. It has a stated mission to reduce energy costs, decrease reliance on foreign oil, ensure energy security, and achieve sustainability goals. In an effort to deliver on that mission, the DOD has deployed a 1.6 megawatt Bloom Energy installation at the NSA Campus, located on Fort Meade, Maryland. This amount of power generation capacity is equivalent to powering 1,200 homes. Since 2013, The Department of Defense has been gaining real world experience in understanding how fuel cells can play an important role in the DOD energy security strategy. The goal is to ensure access to reliable supplies of energy and to deliver sufficient energy to meet mission critical requirements.
The fuel cells are manufactured in the United States by Bloom Energy and are designed to generate power on-site, eliminating the need for critical electrical transmission from the grid. It provides reliable power, eliminates the need for costly backup infrastructure, and reduces carbon emissions at the facility. The prime contractor on the project is ARGO Systems LLC (ARGO), a Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business headquartered in Hanover, Maryland.
“As a former Naval Officer, I have a deep understanding of the military’s need for modular, secure and reliable power, and I am proud that the Department of Defense leads the country in the deployment of distributed generation and that Bloom Energy is part of the DOD’s diverse energy portfolio,” commented the Bill Thayer, executive vice president of Sales at Bloom Energy.
This project is an example of how a US manufacturer and a small business can come together to deliver a transformative energy solution that supports the energy and sustainability goals of the federal government. “ARGO is proud to have put together a team that delivered a turn-key design and installation of the first ever solid oxide fuel cell powering a DOD facility,” states Jeff Johnson, Chief Operating Officer for ARGO.
About Bloom Energy
Bloom Energy was founded in 2001 with a mission to make clean, reliable energy affordable for everyone in the world. Bloom Energy Servers are currently producing power for many Fortune 500 companies including Google, Walmart, AT&T, Staples, The Coca-Cola Company, as well as notable non-profit organizations such as Caltech and Kaiser Permanente. Bloom Energy has more than 100 MW of Bloom Energy Servers installed in the United States. Last year, the company opened a large manufacturing center in Newark, Delaware and completed a number of mission critical projects. The company is headquartered in the United States at Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit www.bloomenergy.com.
About ARGO Systems, LLC
Since 2004, ARGO Systems, LLC has specialized in the high quality delivery of mission critical projects. We integrate our diverse services and experienced team to deliver sustainable solutions in smart, efficient methods. Our customers include federal, state and municipal governments, Intelligence Community agencies, public utilities, and telecommunications companies. ARGO provides innovative, efficient, and cost effective results for customers. ARGO Systems, LLC is verified by the Veterans Administration as a Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). For more information, visit http://www.argo-sys.com/.