The Department of Energy and its semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration are window shopping at this stage for a ground-mounted solar-electric system at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) posted a request for information Thursday on the SAM.gov federal procurement website for help “in determining the optimal contract mechanism” for a privately-owned and operated solar photovoltaic system capable of generating up to 10 megawatts of electricity at Los Alamos.
The request for information says responses are due by 6 p.m. Eastern Time on March 31 and should be emailed to contract officer Matthew Barela (matthew.barela@nnsa.doe.gov).
The “carbon pollution free electricity” produced by the solar project would be purchased by Los Alamos National Laboratory for on-site use, according to the notice. The development would also help DOE comply with executive order 14008, which President Joe Biden issued in January on “ Tackling the Climate Challenge at Home and Abroad.”
The solar system would likely be built on a 40-to-50 acre parcel within Technical Area 16 and directly adjacent to Highway 501. National Environmental Policy Act reviews have already been done on cultural and biological concerns and yielded a “finding of no significant impact,” according to material accompanying the notice.
The laboratory’s average cost of electricity for fiscal 2021 was $67 per megawatt hour, according to the notice. The NNSA is responsible for procuring electricity for the laboratory through its contract with Los Alamos County.