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07 May 13. Constellation NewEnergy Inc., Baltimore, Md., (W912DY-13-D-0021); ECC Renewables LLC, Burlingame, Calif., (W912DY-13-D-0022); Enel Green Power North America Inc., Andover, Mass., (W912DY-13-D-0023); LTC Federal LLC, Detroit, Mich., (W912DY-13-D-0024); and Siemens Government Technologies, Arlington, Va., (W912DY-13-D-0025); were awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price, multiple-award, task-order contract with a maximum value of $7,000,000,000 for the procurement of energy from renewable and alternative energy production facilities that are designed, financed, constructed, operated and maintained by private sector entities on private land under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense. Work location and type of appropriation will be determined with each task order. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 16 bids received. The Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity.
06 May 13. The fourth U.S. Air Force GPS IIF satellite, slated for launch this month, will include a software update designed to address problems found in battery chargers on the Boeing-built spacecraft. The battery chargers “were experiencing current drop-outs” during production testing, according to Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) officials. Boeing has since developed a software fix that will “govern the operating modes of the battery charger to reduce the likelihood that the charger will experience drop-outs,” the officials say. The software will be uploaded to GPS IIF satellite 4, which will be lofted on an Atlas V May 15, as well as all future IIF vehicles. A hardware fix, however, also has been readied. It will be implemented on GPS IIF satellite 5, slated for launch in November, and will be added to all subsequent satellites. It will modify the power-conditioning unit to address the contributing factors discovered in the root-cause analysis, the officials say. AFSPC officials have also identified changes in operating procedures designed to mitigate the likelihood of drop-outs during applicable battery-charging modes. This problem was found on the ground during testing after spacecraft were already in orbit, and it has not been observed in deployed satellites, the space command officials say. (Source: Aviation Week)
08 May 13. US Army awards first orders under MATOC renewable energy contract. The US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center has awarded the first contracts under its $7bn multiple award task order contracts (MATOC) programme, which seeks renewable and alternative energy power production at all Department of Defense (DoD) installations. Awarded in collaboration with the Army Energy Initiatives Task Force (EITF), the contracts involve supply of renewable energy for the army’s geothermal technology-based energy sites through power purchase agreements (PPA). Secured by Constellation NewEnergy, ECC Renewables, Enel Green Power North America, LTC Federal, and Siemens Government Technologies, the contracts feature a three-year performance period and seven one-year options, and will streamline acquisition process for the future projects. The contracts will also help DoD in achieving the US Congress-mandated energy goal of 25% production and consumption of energy from renewable sources by 2025, while also enhancing installation energy security and sustainability, with reduced operational costs. The army is required to deploy 3GW of renewable energy at all US military bases across the country by 2025, as part of a Pentagon pledge in April 2012. Huntsville Center commander colonel Robert Ruch said the use of third-party money for construc