The top secret Lockheed Martin Corp. Skunk Works facility in Palmdale is now generating a portion of its own power from a solar installation that went active at the end of May. The 1 megawatt solar farm is among the largest single axis photovoltaic systems built at an industrial facility in Southern California and adds to the Antelope Valley’s growing number of alternative energy projects. Melani Austin, vice president of execution and integration at Skunk Works, said the 3,300 panels built on 7 acres are designed to track the sun as it moves across the sky to capture as much energy as possible. “The minute the sun comes up we are at full capacity,” Austin said. The Skunk Works plant is where Lockheed, based in Bethesda, Md., develops and designs the most technologically advanced aircraft. Its legacy includes the XP-80, a prototype jet fighter during World War II; the U2 high-altitude spy plane; the SR-71 Blackbird, one of the fastest planes ever flown; and the F-117 Nighthawk, the first stealth bomber. The solar project is part of Lockheed’s companywide Go Green campaign to reduce water use by 30 percent, power by 25 percent, carbon emissions by 35 percent and total waste by 7 percent. Scott Stallard, senior manager of environmental sustainability at Lockheed, said the 2008 Go Green effort met its goals in waste and energy cuts and now is working on meeting the new ones by 2020. “Palmdale has been doing well in that regard,” Stallard said. Other actions taken at the Skunk Works plant to reach the Go Green goals have been manufacturing in off-peak energy use hours and evaluating equipment for energy efficient upgrades. Austin said that Lockheed has enough vacant space that it can expand the solar installation with additional panels. Lockheed is not the only Antelope Valley aviation organization thinking about energy conservation. In early March, the U.S. Air Force and NRG Energy Inc., in Princeton, N.J., and a subsidiary, NRG Yield Inc., completed a 20 megawatt solar installation on land leased at Plant 42, the military-owned property that is near the Skunkworks where large aerospace companies, including Boeing Co. and Northrop Grumman Corp., have operations. The project consists of 98,000 photovoltaic solar panels on 180 acres that can generate enough electricity to power more than 3,200 homes. Construction began last September and created about 250 jobs. “We are happy to see that the United States Air Force values clean energy and has partnered with us on this project that helps California meet its renewable energy goals,” Craig Cornelius, senior vice president, NRG Energy, said in a statement. Growing Fleet Private aircraft management and charter firm Jet Edge International in June increased to 50 the number of planes in its managed fleet. Among the aircraft the Van Nuys aviation firm added to reach that number was a late model Gulfstream G550 based in New York; three Gulfstream G200 super-midsize jets based in Los Angeles, Palm Beach, and New York; and a later model Challenger 605 with dual bases in Toronto and Miami. Jet Edge Chief Executive Bill Papariella said that just a year ago, the company had 36 aircraft in its managed fleet. “We continue to prove with our ongoing growth that our investment in safety, standards, service, channel sales, crew resources, and new operating hubs on the East Coast have helped drive our managed aircraft business to new heights,” he said in a statement. Jet Edge began operations in August 2011 out of 130,000 square feet of hangar and office space on Saticoy Street at Van Nuys Airport. It is owned by Bard Capital Group, a Denver private equity firm. The company manages and charters primarily long-range and large-cabin private jets with amenities that high-end passengers expect, such as a Wi-Fi connection, private lavatories, folding divans for sleeping and a full bar. Van Nuys Construction Aerolease Aeroplex Group broke ground July 6 for a new $7 million hangar and office facility at Van Nuys Airport. The 45,000-square-foot building is expected to be complete in March, said Chief Executive Curt Castagna. “It is a standalone project with its own parking lot and will be dedicated for business aircraft,” Castagna said. The new building had been in the works since before the Great Recession as the second phase of an expansion project but was delayed due to the poor economy. The 3-acre site, interestingly enough, was where Aerolease had its original buildings when the company started in 1977. Completion of the new building will coincide with the company’s 40th anniversary. Staff Reporter Mark R. Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or [email protected].