MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – A solar power system has been installed at the Soda Creek Station on the Upper Lake Ranger District of the Mendocino National Forest.

This system is part of the Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies, or AFFECT, Off-Grid Renewable Energy Project.

The project was commissioned on Dec. 14.

The Soda Creek Mobile Solar Photovoltaic System is one of five pilot projects in Region 5.

All five systems will be installed at stations where the primary power is derived from generators, thus greatly reducing the annual fossil fuel consumption at these sites.

Monthly data from the renewable energy projects will be collected and analyzed over the next decade with the intent to develop similar systems forest service-wide.

The photovoltaic system consists of three solar panel trailers and a trailer that houses inverters and lead acid battery banks.

This system is capable of producing 162 kWh/day and has two days of battery autonomy; the average daily load at Soda Creek Station is 105 kWh/day.

The Energy Independence and Security Act (2007) and Executive Order 13514 (“Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, Economic Performance”) both call for increased implementation of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy installations.

More recently, the Presidential Memorandum “Federal Leadership on Energy Management,” issued Dec. 5, 2013, requires all federal agencies to pursue the goal of having 20 percent of all electrical power consumed come from renewable energy sources by the year 2020.