Boeing's Enlightening Partnerships (video)

Boeing and NRG Energy brought their first solar power plant online in Brawley, Calif., 10 months after the project began.

Six megawatts of power – generated via 25,000 solar panels arranged on 3,100 solar arrays spread across 37 acres -- started feeding the southern California power grid with clean, renewable energy.  Engineers supporting the project say the new solar farm, known as “Community,” can power 2,200 average homes at full capacity.

“Building clean, affordable, secure power that feeds our grid is important,” said Tim Noonan, vice president of Ventures, part of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. “Our expertise in supply chain management, program management, and systems engineering and our ability to bring world-class performance-based logistics to a new industry is rewarding and makes sense for Boeing. This is one way we’re helping to build a better planet.”

Boeing provided NRG Energy, the Community project owner and largest independent power company in the United States, with engineering, procurement and construction services. NRG will sell the solar-generated power to the Imperial Irrigation District, the local utility company. This partnership underscores Boeing’s continuing progress in creating solutions for environmental challenges facing communities where its employees live and work.

NRG and Boeing have also teamed up to build a much larger 25.65 megawatt solar power plant on the island of Guam. It will be the first solar plant built on the island. The expected completion date is late 2014.

“We’re very excited to be working with Boeing in solar power, and are excited about the many different directions this can take both companies,” said Randy Hickok, senior vice president, NRG.