Feb 21 2011
Arizona Public Service and First Solar, a solar manufacturer, have partnered to harness solar energy for the state. First Solar will design and build a 17MW photovoltaic facility for the APS-owned plant called the Paloma Solar Plant in Gila Bend, Arizona. It is expected to be functional by September 2011.
To provide reliable clean energy to customers, APS designed the AZ Sun program. A part of the program, Paloma is one of the 5 solar plants which are under development. As per the program, APS plans to finance and own 100MW solar PV plants in the state. Committed to 83MW of solar capacity, the AZ Sun program will be completed by end of 2014.
Including projects online and in development, the renewable energy portfolio for APS will total to 875MW. 72,000 homes are being powered by the 288MW, which are available today.
For the first time ever, thin-film panels will be employed in an APS project and 300,000 thin-film photovoltaic panels will be mounted on the fixed-tilt steel frames for use in the Paloma project.
Senior Vice President of First Solar, Jim Lamon stated that with First Solar’s construction expertise and systems engineering along with the advanced thin-film technology, will enable APS to tap into Arizona’s infinite solar resource and produce clean, renewable energy.
Another AZ Sun photovoltaic project, Cotton Center will be located one mile away from the Paloma project.