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City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
2013 Solar Update-City of Tucson
Bruce Plenk, City of Tucson Solar Energy Coordinator Office of Conservation and Sustainable Development
The City is Building Solar!!
• In 2011 and 2012, the City of Tucson built
over 2 MW of PV at police substations, the
TCC, the Price Service Center, and the
Randolph Rec Center gym.
• These systems included rooftop and
carport designs designed to save energy
and police car electronics!
• Financed with CREBs bonds
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
Big New City projects:
Price Service Center- 1.1 MW +
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
Big New City Projects:
TCC- 591 kW
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
New City Projects:
Miller-Golflinks Library/
Rincon Police Substation-141 kW
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
New City Projects: Midtown Service
Center-250 kW
The City is Buying Additional Solar
Power to Meet City Needs
• Did you know the City spends over $15
million each year on TEP bills alone?
• Moving water is our biggest single energy
expense
• TEP’s rate increase request is likely to
take effect July 1-roughly 10% increase
• Locking in power costs with solar PPAs
makes sense for government
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
Tucson Water CAVSARP Pumping
Station-I MW PPA now, expanding
to 5 MW by December, 2013
The City is also buying into
TEP’s Community Solar
Program • 5-10 MW available from TEP’s solar farms
• Will allow City to lock in energy price for
20 years
• Similar program available to individuals
(are you in on this??)
• Pending ACC approval (County is already
doing this)
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
SOLON/Pima County 5 MW
Prairie Fire Project 2013
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
The City is leasing unused City
land for wholesale solar projects
• This supports TEP’s plan to locate utility-
scale PV projects close to end use
locations
• Can tie into local distribution lines and
avoid long distance transmission lines
(and dangers from forest fires!!)
• Provides income to City
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
The Big Dogs: FRV (Sun Edison) and NRG
(First Solar) Solar Farms in Avra Valley-
Each 25 MW! Now completed!
Who benefits from big solar
farms? • Power for 3500
homes
• 250-350 jobs
during construction
• $4.5 million in
property taxes to
Pima Co over life
of plant
• No air emissions
• No water used
• Habitat preserved
• Fencing and
landscaping
protect neighbors
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
The City is providing better
information on solar
• Puzzled about solar?
• Overwhelmed with geeky terminology?
-grid-tied
-kWh
-PPA/lease
-changing utility incentives
-state and federal tax credits
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
More and better info now available!
• www.arizonagoessolar.com
• www.solaronestopaz.org
LOTS OF WAYS TO LEARN
MORE!!!
TEP Community Solar
Solar One
Stop
Downtown
Check out the U of A Solar
Zone City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
• Energy = Water
Learn about energy in our
Tucson water-solar saves 2x!
4,800 kwh of electricity to pump
1 acre foot of water to our homes
Typical Tucson home with four people will use .51 acre
feet/year
4,800 kwh/acre foot x .51 acre feet = 2,472 kwh/year
Water is the fourth largest user of
Electricity in the home after water
heating! Slide courtesy of Rich Franz-Under,
Pima County Green Building Program
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
The City is trying out solar in other
applications
• Streetlights
• Pedestrian crossings, etc
• New solar hot water systems
• What’s next?
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
Solar Streetlights-Barrio Centro
The City is changing policies to make
solar easier
• Land Use Code changed to make solar possible in all zoning categories and looking at more changes
• Simplified solar permit procedures in all Pima County jurisdictions
• Net zero building program relies on solar!
• Solar Benefits Tucson-group buy makes solar cheaper
• Solar building permit fees reduced
• New codes push energy efficiency
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
Plaza del Sol PV-630 kW, single axis
trackers. Possible due to zoning changes
Plaza del Sol-600 kW
Net Zero Homes and Buildings
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
New codes focus on energy
efficiency, solar’s #1 partner!
• Building permits issued after 1/1/13 will
need to show a 30% more efficient
structure, so a smaller PV system could
provide power!
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
Solar is a part of long range City
plans-get involved!
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
Arizona Rooftop Solar
Challenge • Expedited permitting
• More financing options-PACE?
• Uniform interconnection policies
• Aggregated net metering?
• Guaranteed solar access?
• Solar Friendly Communities!!!
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
The big solar picture!
• U.S. Solar Industry Continues to Boom
• Q1 2013 total installations are 33% above Q1 2012
• The U.S. now has over 8,500 MW of cumulative installed
solar electric capacity, enough to power more than 1.3
million average American homes.
• The residential market continues to show consistent,
incremental growth. Residential installations grew 53% in
Q1 2013 over the same quarter last year.
• Utility installations more than doubled year-over-year as
318 MW came online in the first quarter of 2013.
• Source: SEIA/GTM
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
Solar costs are dropping
• Falling costs make solar more affordable than ever
• The average cost of a completed PV system dropped by 24 percent
over the past year to $3.37/W.
• Now 90% of residential solar installs in Arizona are leased, many
with zero downpayment
• The average price of a solar panel has declined by 60 percent since
the beginning of 2011.
• While these price drops are beneficial for solar consumers, the
sharp fall in prices, due in part by a global oversupply, has put a
serious strain on solar manufacturers worldwide.
• This trend is likely to continue with bankruptcies, consolidation, etc
• We are moving to a post-incentive solar world
• Source: SEIA/GTM
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
The Arizona story
• ACC has removed all utility incentives for commercial
solar projects and sharply reduced the incentives for
residential projects
• Net metering (running the meter backwards when you
send excess power to utility) is under attack
• Local solar industry described by some as “solar dust
bowl”-layoffs and decreased installs, but new markets
being developed (O&M, orphan systems, Mexico, etc)
• TEP’s Community Solar program great for renters, etc
• Federal tax credit runs out in 2016; likely to change the
leasing market
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
City of Tucson Solar Update-SW Air Quality Forum
June 18, 2013
Contact Information
• Bruce Plenk, Solar Energy Coordinator
(520) 837-6322, [email protected]
City IT Bldg