SOLON and TEP bring 1.6MW solar power plant to Tucson

TUCSON, USA: Tucson based SOLON Corp., one of the largest crystalline silicon solar module manufacturers in the US and provider of turnkey solar power plants, announced an agreement with Tucson Electric Power Co. (TEP) that will bring a 1.6 megawatt (MW) turnkey solar power plant to Tucson.

Powered by SOLON systems and modules, the plant will provide a faster, more cost effective way for TEP to integrate solar power into its renewable energy portfolio for Tucson residents.

The University of Arizona will host the 1.6 MW single-axis tracking system at UATechPark’s SolarZone, a 200 acre project that brings industry, research and solar demonstration components into a solar integration center. TEP will own and operate the solar production facility. Construction is scheduled to be completed by December 2010.

SOLON will provide engineering, procurement and construction services. The project features SOLON’s Velocity MW Solar System, which provides preconfigured, one-megawatt modular solar fields specifically designed to help utilities quickly scale to capacity. In total, SOLON will provide 11 of SOLON’s Single Axis trackers, utilizing 5,808 275-watt high-efficiency solar modules manufactured in the US at its Tucson facility.

“Tucson Electric Power is committed to developing innovative strategies to expand the use of solar power in our community,” said Paul Bonavia, chairman, president and CEO of TEP and its parent company, UniSource Energy Corp.

“SOLON’s ability to quickly roll out an efficient, turnkey solar power plant will help reduce the time, cost and performance risks associated with some solar power projects.”

The SOLON Velocity MW Solar System consists of standardized clusters, which reduces the number of components with a proportional reduction in field installation labor.

The preconfigured design helps accelerate plant permitting and site development, which can stall a project for months or even years. Each Velocity MW cluster also includes a centralized, collocated power conversion station for the inverter and step-up transformer, which enables significantly faster field assembly and higher performance than competitive solutions.

“SOLON specifically created the Velocity MW System for utilities such as TEP to help them improve their response to peak load demand and meet their renewable energy goals,” said Dan Alcombright, regional VP and GM at SOLON.

“Through our Velocity MW system, we are delivering a breakthrough design for fast, reliable solar energy. We value the opportunity to collaborate with TEP as together we develop clean energy efforts in Tucson, while supporting the local workforce in tandem.”