Solar energy
With sunshine so abundant in Arizona, it makes sense to harness its energy.
SRP supports this clean source of power by participating in the projects listed
below and offering you tools to determine whether solar power is right for your home.
You can harness the sun's energy to create electricity at your home by installing
a solar electric or solar hot water heater. Please see:
- SRP EarthWise Solar Energy: SRP
customers who install a solar electric system or solar water heater at their home may qualify
for a cash rebate to defray the cost of going solar.
The sun is a free and inexhaustible source of fuel capable of producing emission-free electricity.
By capturing this energy in a photovoltaic (PV) system, which comprises modules of semiconductor
cells, solar photons are converted into energy.
As part of its EarthWise Energy™
program, SRP operates a 200-kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic (PV) system at the
Agua Fria Generating Station in the western
Phoenix, as well as two 100kW PV systems installed at the Rogers substation in Mesa.
SRP's PV systems use modules of semiconductor cells to capture solar photons and
convert them into electricity. The modules are arranged into larger arrays that can
be tilted in response to the sun's angle, allowing us to maximize the amount of power
produced by each system, regardless of the time of day or particular season.
Construction and parking: SRP has partnered with Calex Homes
to promote and develop solar generation in the Phoenix area and is working with other builders on
solar water heating and home photovoltaic systems.
In another partnership, SRP joined with the city of Phoenix Transit Department to install solar
power panels on covered parking structures at an Ahwatukee Foothills Park-and-Ride facility.
The panels produce enough energy to provide power to 100 homes annually. SRP also installed
a solar energy system at the Red Mountain Library parking lot in Mesa.
Read more detail about these projects.
Zoo signs:
As part of an ongoing commitment to promote renewable energy, SRP donated 17 solar-powered exhibit signs to the Phoenix Zoo in 2004.
Located throughout the Tropics and Africa Trails, the signs feature information about the animals as well as
personalized recorded messages from the zookeepers.
The signs are part of the SRP EarthWise Energy program,
which funds solar and other sources of renewable energy while educating the public about the benefits and
need for solar energy.
Educational projects: SRP installed small solar systems at South Mountain Community College, Cesar Chavez High School and Scottsdale Community College.
Several educational solar energy experiments
also are featured on this site.
Unfortunately, the current costs of installing photovoltaic equipment makes this form of
renewable energy an expensive option for power generation. As a stronger market for this
energy develops, we hope to see costs decline.
In the meantime, SRP continues to assess other solar technologies to find the most cost
effective and environmentally beneficial source of clean energy.
SRP is also part of a consortium of energy companies requesting proposals to build a solar thermal power plant. The proposed plant would generate 250 MW of electricity.