Cronkite News: Solar power plant under development in Arizona
Indianz.Com > News > Cronkite News: Solar Power Plant Under Development in Arizona
SRP and Clenera will begin construction of Arizona’s largest solar farm northwest of Flagstaff in 2023. SRP has been committed to expanding solar power, including East Line Solar in Coolidge (shown here), which was started by SRP and owned and operated by a subsidiary of AES. Photo credit: SRP
SRP solar farm northwest of Flagstaff expected to offset 1 billion pounds of CO2 annually
Monday, January 23, 2023
Sydney Wilson
cronkite news
Flagstaff, Arizona — The Salt River Project has partnered with private renewable energy company Crenella to Largest solar power plant in Arizona By 2024. Construction of the CO Bar Solar plant will begin this year on his 2,400-acre private property northwest of Flagstaff in Coconino County. When complete, it is expected to offset 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide each year while powering his 80,000 homes in Arizona. The project is designed to help SRP reach its decarbonization goals. The company expects to reach 2,025 megawatts of solar power by 2025, with nearly 50% of the energy it provides to its customers coming from carbon-free sources. In total CO Bar Solar will provide 1,000 megawatts of solar power and SRP’s customers will receive his 400 megawatts. Crenella runs the power plant and controls who receives the rest of the power. Jared McKee, Crenella’s vice president of business development, said it would benefit all Arizonans and lower the cost of clean energy.
East Line Solar is a 100 MW solar power plant launched by SRP’s Sustainable Energy Offering and owned and operated by a subsidiary of AES. Photo credit: SRPHe said the project puts sustainability at the core of the entire development process. “When you look at the scale of this project, there really isn’t a project like this across the United States with up to 1,000 megawatt projects,” he said. “We worked with county officials, Arizona Game & Fish, to develop this project to secure a wildlife corridor and ensure all sustainable construction is done. In addition to being environmentally sustainable from start to finish, McKee said it was also sustainable in cost and reliability. “A complete market transformation can only happen at a cost that makes sense for everyone who pays, who turns the switch on,” he said. The relationship between SRP and solar power has been rocky for years. The utility initially encouraged customers to install rooftop solar, but in 2015 began charging higher rates for customers who installed solar systems after December 2014. became. In response, four of his customers filed antitrust lawsuits in 2020. The lawsuit was dismissed by the lower court. That year, however, he was overturned by his three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals for the Circuit in early 2022.
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals: Oral Argument – William Ellis v. Salt River Project – February 2, 2021 in the Decision of the Court of Appeal, Judge Eric D. Miller held that plaintiffs were “directly and economically harmed” by SRP’s exclusive pricing scheme, which is intended to curb competition by discouraging customers from installing solar energy systems. SRP is still charging higher rates for its solar customers, but that could change now that the lawsuit can proceed. SRP’s manager of resource analysis and planning, Michael Reynolds, says the company strikes a balance between affordability, sustainability, and reliability. “While the sun is shining, we are benefiting greatly from online solar,” said Reynolds. “Many of our customers have come to us asking for something to help them reach their sustainability goals throughout the day. They want something that lasts into the night.” Reynolds said SRP is investing in wind energy and long-term solar storage to make clean energy more reliable and resilient. These he two solutions help provide carbon-free energy even at night and in unpredictable weather. “We really have to think about some of the very rare cases where the weather lasts for days and can affect the operation of things,” he said. “It is important to have readily available resources online in the event of an emergency or unexpected weather system demand. “Now, looking far into the future, I believe we can think about what it means to be completely carbon-free,” he said. “But in our quest to decarbonise, we need to think about how to maintain reliability and diversity across resource types.” Solar power is Arizona’s largest source of renewable energy, and SRP Metro Phoenix is the primary electricity provider. The state ranks fifth in the nation for solar power, according to the US Energy Information Administration. For Arizona to become his 100% solar or completely carbon-free would be difficult given today’s technological constraints, but not unattainable. Barry Petrey, SRP’s resource acquisition manager, said it is possible for Arizona to see a clean energy future. “You can definitely envision a carbon-free portfolio in the future,” said Petrey. “100% carbon-free resource.”
