REC Solar, a national provider of comprehensive commercial solar and energy solutions, and HICAPS, a SDVOSB (Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business) full service Construction Management firm, announced on March 10th they will build two solar electric systems at U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Medical Centers in Salem, Virginia and Las Vegas, Nevada. In total, these systems comprise nearly 7 MW of solar generation capacity across rooftops, carports and ground-mounted arrays.

"The VA has gone above and beyond to meet their sustainability goals by developing a strong portfolio of renewable energy projects,” said John Handy, Federal Business Development Manager at REC Solar. “Our goal is to ensure smooth construction of solar systems, quickly and affordably, so the VA can maintain focus on their core mission of veteran care without interruption.”

REC Solar will serve as the engineering, procurement and solar system contractor for these systems, while HICAPS acts as the prime general contractor responsible for site civil construction and overall management and implementation of the projects. These arrays bring REC Solar’s total installations with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs up to 21, and HICAPS’ installed projects up to $25 million.

The 5 MW system at the VA Las Vegas Medical Center will span carport and ground-mount structures, including a 200 kW structure that provides shade for water tanks. HICAPS and REC Solar will work with the VA to ensure that no parking spaces are blocked during the construction process, which is expected to be completed in December 2015.

For the Salem VA Medical Center, HICAPS and REC Solar installed 1.8 MW of solar capacity. After successful completion of a 1.6 MW array in 2013, the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs selected HICAPS and REC Solar to construct an additional 200 kW system. By utilizing a ballasted mounting system that avoids ground penetrations, the companies were able to locate the system on a brownfield next to the medical center.

“Over the past several years, we’ve partnered with REC Solar to design high-quality, custom systems on facilities with challenging site characteristics, including the Salem VA Medical Center and Las Vegas VA Medical Centers,” said Chris Roth, HICAPS’ Project Manager. “We’re proud to bring the VA Medical Centers a cost-effective way to reduce expenses and improve their environmental impact.”