There was a sense, in the tent powered by a small solar array collecting the Colorado sun on Monday afternoon, that the groundbreaking really was the beginning of something big.

“This is far more important than the six megawatts we’re going to generate here today,” Pape said.

He added that he felt a kinship through his company with the Air Force.

“I believe our mission is as related to national security as yours is,” Pape said. “We can discuss that later.”

In fact, the Pentagon has been promoting renewable energy, especially at government facilities, as a matter of national security.

Pape told the group that he hoped this project would only be the beginning of a solid relationship between the company and the Air Force.

It could be just the beginning. The Air Force Academy has established a goal to be net-zero by 2015, meaning it will generate all of the power it needs using renewable sources on the base.

“It’s a big goal,” Colorado Springs Utilities spokesman Romero said. “But you don’t want easy goals; you have to shoot for things that are a little challenging.”

He mentioned the Air Force Academy’s energy czar, Russel Hume, whose motto is “You can’t say you have an energy program just because you have a solar array.”

Achieving the lofty goal of generating all of the power the base needs will have to combine conservation efforts, smart engineering and resourcefulness when it comes to identifying alternative energy sources, Air Force Academy leaders said at the event.

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