APS will own, operate and receive energy from solar panels on customer rooftops that are suitable for the project. The company will hire solar contractors to install and maintain the systems in a limited area of northeast Flagstaff.
Customers will receive a long-term Community Power Rate for the solar portion of their bill. This rate will remain fixed at a guaranteed level. The company anticipates rollout of the program this summer.
Don Robinson, president of APS, said: “Our customers want solar energy for their homes and businesses and the Community Power Project is an important option. With the Community Power Project we will also be among the first utilities in the country to study different solar power scenarios as they happen in real time and test different ways to manage these challenges on the grid.”
APS said that the Community Power Project will enable APS to measure system impacts and to better understand the total customer experience with technology.
Last fall, APS along with its four grant partners received notification from the US Department of Energy that it would receive a $3.3m federal grant to study the effects of high concentrations of solar energy on the grid over a 45-month period. Finalization of the award is expected this month. The Flagstaff program will serve as the host of the study.
APS intends to generate 1.5MW of electricity from the Community Power Project in Flagstaff. As per the current plan, 200 qualified participants will be interconnected with the electrical grid along a single electric distribution area, or feeder, called Sandvig 4 in northeast Flagstaff.
Also as part of this project, APS plans to install a utility-scale solar array and several small wind turbines in the test area. The company also plans to work with local agencies to provide 50 solar water heaters in the pilot area on homes of customers with limited incomes.
