This is a SunPower project from soup to nuts: The San Jose, Calif.-based company said it had already begun designing the system, and will also build, operate and maintain it. Although going in on base land, the Navy won't own the plant; instead, SunPower said, an affiliate of Metropolitan Life, the insurance company, will own the plant and lease it to a SunPower affiliate. The Navy will then buy the electricity "at a rate that is currently below the retail utility rate," SunPower said, providing it "with a long-term hedge against rising power prices with no initial capital investment." By going with a 20-year power-purchase agreement – a first for a military project, SunPower said – the Navy will get the electricity "at up to 30 percent below the rate available through the more traditional 10-year PPA." SunPower said the China Lake system will use its Oasis Power Plant product, which integrates the SunPower T0 Tracker (pictured above) with the SunPower E19/425 Solar Panel.