More than one million solar panels are hard at work in the Arizona desert producing clean power for APS customers. These photovoltaic panels are part of the APS AZ Sun Program, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year.
The program has experienced many successes along the way, further positioning Arizona as a solar leader and bringing APS customers exactly what they want more energy produced from the sun. The one million panels most of which maximize the suns energy by following it across the sky have produced more than one billion kilowatt hours since the first APS plant came on line in 2011.
Our customers dont typically give much thought to the energy we produce and send to their homes; they just want that light to turn on at the flip of a switch, said Mark Schiavoni, APS Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. But on hot summer days, when our customers are using the most amount of energy, we need generation resources that can match their energy demands and ensure continued reliability in every corner of the state. Our AZ Sun Program and its nine solar plants are delivering exactly what they were meant to on sunny days electricity from sun up to sun down.
APS owns and operates the facilities, which were designed and constructed by third-party solar developers, contractors and equipment providers. Nearly 2,000 jobs were created during the construction of the nine plants.
Due to economies of scale, and the fact that the majority of these facilities utilize trackers that allow the panels to follow the sun across the sky, grid-scale solar is the most cost effective and efficient way to produce solar power, conserve water and avoid carbon emissions.
With summer fast approaching, one of the primary benefits of grid-scale solar will be put on center stage its ability to continue to generate power in the afternoon. In 2015, APS customers consumed the highest amount of electricity at 5 p.m. on August 15. When this energy spiked, APS continued to receive 140 megawatts from AZ Sun plants 80 percent of their 170 MW capacity.
We monitor the system around the clock to ensure we always have enough power to meet the energy needs of our customers, Schiavoni said. When were talking about a peak of more than 7,000 MW in one single moment, that 140 MW might not seem like a lot. But its invaluable. And, its Arizona generated solar power what could be better?
The nine APS AZ Sun Solar Power Plants include:
Paloma, 2011
17 MW
Located in Gila Bend, Ariz.
279,720 solar panels
Solar developer: First Solar
Cotton Center, 2011
17 MW
Located in Gila Bend, Ariz.
93,072 solar panels
Solar developer: Solon
Hyder I, 2012
16 MW
Located in Hyder, Ariz.
69,770 solar panels
Solar developer: SunEdison
Chino Valley, 2012
19 MW
Located in Chino Valley, Ariz.
77,463 solar panels
Solar developer: SunEdison
Foothills, 2013
35 MW
Located in Yuma, Ariz.
182,400 solar panels
Solar developer: AMEC
Hyder II, 2013
14 MW
Located in Hyder, Ariz.
70,720 solar panels
Solar developer: McCarthy
Gila Bend, 2014
32 MW
Located in Gila Bend, Ariz.
171,520 solar panels
Solar developer: Black & Veatch
Desert Star, 2015
10 MW
Located in Buckeye, Ariz.
50,797 solar panels
Solar developer: McCarthy
Luke AFB, 2015
10 MW
Located on Luke Air Force Base
50,797 solar panels
Solar developer: McCarthy Building Co.
Its tough to match the value of solar that is planned out and positioned for maximum capacity, Schiavoni said. Our AZ Sun Solar Power Plants have been a great resource; they have produced clean solar power for our customers for five years and will continue to do so for years to come.
APS, Arizonas largest and longest-serving electricity utility, serves nearly 1.2 million customers in 11 of the states 15 counties. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp.
