Five Ways TEP is Bringing More Solar to Town
Learn about renewable energy's role in our goals.
Whether we harness the sun’s energy from large community arrays or smaller rooftop systems, solar energy plays an important role in helping us build a cleaner, greener grid.
We’re working to deliver 70 percent of our energy from renewable sources by 2035 to help reduce our carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. “Achieving that goal will require a number of strategies, including supporting customers who want to do their part for a cleaner energy future,” said Erik Bakken, Vice President of System Operations and Energy Resources.
Here are five ways we’re harnessing more solar energy than ever:
1. We’re continually expanding our renewable resources.
In 2021, TEP doubled the capacity of our renewable resources by bringing massive new wind and solar projects online. Click below to see how much renewable power TEP is delivering to customers right now.
2. We supported a record number of solar requests in 2021.
More residential customers sought to install private solar arrays in 2021, filing more than 7,100 applications for new systems. That’s up from about 4,400 applications in 2020, which itself was a record year. In total, more than 32,000 TEP customers have installed solar photovoltaic systems.
3. We expanded the ability to safely connect new rooftop systems to TEP’s grid.
Connecting a solar power system is more complex than many people realize. Our renewable energy and engineering teams performed detailed circuit capacity studies and made adjustments to our system that allowed us to bring additional systems online without extensive design changes. We’re also exploring system upgrades to integrate additional renewable resources in the future as customer demands grow.
4. We’re supporting broader access to participate in a cleaner energy future.
Not everyone can install their own rooftop solar array. That’s why we offer easy, affordable and flexible ways for customers to buy solar power from TEP to cover some or all of your energy use.
5. Online tools provide more information to customers about solar options.
Thinking about going solar? Our Solar Analysis tool is a service that helps you compare various solar options. You can use this tool to review the benefits and approximate costs of private solar based on your rooftop’s characteristics, energy use, our pricing plan and available tax credits and rebates. Then, see how this information compares with the benefits and costs of participating in our community-solar programs.