Real estate developer Acute Land lease, California-based solar energy firm SolarCity, Arizona’s Tucson Electric Power National Bank of Arizona and US Bancorp Community Development Corporation have all come together to present Arizona with the nation’s largest solar-powered community. The Soaring Heights Communities at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base will see the installation of one of the nation’s largest distributed, community-wide solar power systems.
The solar systems will consist of 6 megawatts of solar capacity in a combination of a ground-mounted photovoltaic system and rooftop solar systems that will be installed on about 900 residences. The installation is expected to result in generating more than 10 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. The electricity produced would be enough to provide an estimated 75 percent of the residents’ energy use next year and could eventually offset 100 percent of Soaring Heights Communities’ electricity use.
The installation will get a 45,000-panel ground-mounted system, which will account for more than 3.3 megawatts of solar capacity into use along with 36,000 panels in the rooftop solar systems. The ground-mounted system will be sponsored by National Bank of Arizona, while the rooftop solar systems are being financed within an existing SolarCity fund, which was financed by US Bancorp Community Development Corporation earlier this year. SolarCity along with TEP is designing and installing the solar systems. After the entire installation process completes, the energy generation is expected to increase by more than 15 percent over Arizona’s current grid-tied solar capacity and more than 570 million pounds of carbon dioxide is estimated to offset over its lifetime.
The first step toward the goal has already been taken with the installation of 1,000 photovoltaic modules on previously vacant land near the Soaring Heights Communities earlier this month. SolarCity is setting up the solar power systems with monitors that will measure solar electricity production and the performance of the ground-mounted arrays against the rooftop arrays. This green initiative will save the planet with its production of clean energy.
Via: ArchiThings