Several British Army bases in Cyprus are now equipped with solar EV chargers from Beam Global.
The new solar EV ARC chargers will be used to power electric vehicles used on the Army base and will fit in a standard parking space. This is the first of a number of installations planned for British military bases; The Ministry of Defense (MoD) has ordered $1 million (£777,800) worth of Beam products, which will be delivered in the coming months.
“We are very pleased to have recently purchased ten Beam EV ARC solar charging systems,” said Transport Unit HQ BFC Commander, Lt. Col. Daniel Taylor. “These portable charging stations will fit into a standard parking space and will harness Cyprus’s abundant sunshine and provide a clean energy source, significantly contributing to our environmental responsibility and increasing our resilience in emergency situations. They will support electric vehicles in the Sovereign Bases Area camps during the day and night, while reminding everyone of the importance of innovation to increase capabilities by harnessing our planet’s solar energy.”
Desmond Wheatley, CEO of Beam Global added: “This first ten EV ARC deployment from Beam Europe confirms our access to the European market – the largest in the world for our products. As the year progresses, we will continue to fulfill the many orders in our global pipeline and build on the tremendous momentum our entry into Europe has created.”
Decarbonizing defense
Defense operations around the world have been looking for ways to decarbonize their domestic and international operations, including solar PV installations.
In June last year, a solar farm with 3,000 PV panels was unveiled at the Duke of Gloucester Barracks in South Cerney. The development, called Project Prometheus, covers 1.1 hectares of land on the base and is capable of generating a third of the electricity the base needs to operate. Combined with the MoD’s other solar sites, it is estimated that the use of solar energy will save the department £250,000 per year.
The British Army currently operates three solar farms and a fourth is under construction. The first of these, a 2.3MW site at the Defense School of Transport in Leconfield, was delivered by Centrica Business Solutions, while the other two completed sites were developed in partnership with renewable energy installer 3ti.
