A Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG) subsidiary said Dec. 19 that it has brought online a 19-MW solar project in Arizona.
The PSEG Badger 1 Solar Farm is a 19.3 MW DC (15 MW AC) project located on 172 acres west of Phoenix.
The solar farm was developed and constructed by juwi solar Inc. (JSI). Arizona Public Service Co. (APS), the state’s largest electric utility and a subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital (NYSE:PNW) will purchase the electricity produced by the facility through a 30-year agreement. Badger 1 Solar will generate enough energy to meet the electricity needs of approximately 3,560 homes.
The solar farm utilizes crystalline panels manufactured by Canadian Solar and a single-axis tracking system manufactured by Array Technologies that allows the panels to track the sun across the sky and increases the amount of electricity generated by each panel. In addition, the project includes inverters manufactured and tested by Phoenix-based Power One. Inverters convert electricity from direct current or DC (which is produced by the solar panels), to alternating current or AC (as it is used in homes and businesses).
Under a separate agreement, JSI will also perform operation and maintenance services for the project.
“PSEG Solar Source is actively seeking additional utility-sized solar projects in the U.S., where companies either need to meet renewable energy requirements or want to offer their customers clean, emissions-free solar energy,” said PSEG Solar Source President Diana Drysdale.
The project marks the second Arizona project and the sixth solar project for the subsidiary of New Jersey-based PSEG. JSI developed and constructed each of these projects. PSEG Solar Source currently owns:
• The PSEG Milford Solar Farm, a 15 MW DC solar farm in Milford, Del.
• The PSEG Queen Creek Solar Farm, a 25 MW DC solar farm in Queen Creek, Ariz.
• The PSEG Wyandot Solar farm, a 12 MW DC solar farm in Wyandot County, Ohio.
• The PSEG Jacksonville Solar Farm, a 15 MW DC solar farm in Jacksonville, Fla.
• The Mars Solar Garden, a 2.2 MW DC facility located adjacent to the Mars Snackfood’s U.S. headquarters in Hackettstown, N.J.
