Blue Sky completes project

VENICE — Blue Sky Solar Group announced it recently completed a 2 million-watt ground-mounted solar installation for the U.S. Navy.

The Venice-based company started work in the spring on the installation, which will help power housing on the Norfolk Naval Base in Norfolk, Va. The installation consists of more than 8,000 solar panels.

In addition to the Norfolk project, Blue Sky has secured a Navy contract to inspect and maintain solar facilities in Corpus Christi, Texas; Patuxent, Md.; and Anacostia in the District of Columbia, the release says.

David Schroeders, president of Blue Sky Solar Group, says once funds for a Florida rebate program dried up, his company looked for out-of-state work where the incentives were more generous. This summer, Blue Sky completed a 400,000-watt system in Worton, Md., and a 130,000-watt system for a convent in Elkton, Md. However, he says the recent reduction in the costs of solar power has made Florida projects more viable again.

“In the last six months, solar module and balance of system costs have come down dramatically. We no longer need rebates to make the financials work,” Schroeders says in a release. “The lower costs, paired with our manufacturers financing program, have made Florida commercial systems very attractive.” 

Founded by Schroeders five years ago, Blue Sky Solar Group provides engineering, procurement and construction services for solar power projects.