FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sep 18 2013 12:00:00:000AM
News Media Contact: Joseph Barrios, (520) 884-3725, jbarrios@tep.com
TEP Receives Environmental Stewardship Award for Investment in Solar Energy
Tucson, Ariz. – An association of Arizona business, civic, academic and nonprofit organizations presented Tucson Electric Power (TEP) with an environmental stewardship award for the company’s leadership and continued investment in solar energy at the University of Arizona Science and Technology Park’s Solar Zone.
The Environmental Stewardship Award for Southern Arizona was presented to TEP at the 33rd Annual Valley Forward Environmental Excellence Awards, held on Saturday, Sept. 14 in Phoenix. Sponsored by Valley Forward, an association of more than 250 large and small businesses, municipalities, educational organizations and other groups, the award program was created to recognize outstanding contributions in environmental leadership and sustainability.
This is the first year that projects outside of the Phoenix area were recognized as part of the awards program. TEP is the first recipient of the award in southern Arizona. Pima County’s Sustainable Action Plan for County Operations and Tucson Clean & Beautiful’s Trees for Tucson program – also sponsored by TEP – received awards of merit in the category. More than 110 nominations were submitted for the entire awards program.
“We feel honored to be recognized, and we hope all residents of southern Arizona take pride in the Solar Zone. It’s a unique project that promotes the development of cost-effective solar energy while allowing us to evaluate multiple technologies in one location,” said Carmine Tilghman, TEP’s Director of Wholesale & Renewable Energy. “We’re very proud of our partnership with the University of Arizona and we look forward to our continuing effort to support solar energy as a clean, renewable resource.”
The Solar Zone – designed to facilitate the construction, testing and evaluation of various solar technologies – currently consists of five solar projects featuring six technologies. TEP has invested $22 million to build, own, and operate two of the projects. With a combined capacity of 21 megawatts (MW), the electric power generated by these systems is fed into the grid and delivered to TEP customers. Through TEP’s renewable energy procurement process, more than $100 million will be invested in the Solar Zone.
“We congratulate TEP for their innovative leadership in renewable energy. Tucson Electric Power is committed to and actively engaged in the development of the Solar Zone. The UA Tech Park created the Solar Zone to accelerate the growth and development of the solar industry in Southern Arizona. Our success achieved is only through collaboration with our partner TEP,” said Bruce Wright, Associate Vice President for University Research Parks.
TEP currently has more than 150 megawatts (MW) of solar generating capacity, enough to meet the annual electric needs of more than 30,000 Tucson homes. By the end of 2014, TEP expects to have more than 228 MW of solar generating capacity, enough to meet the annual electric needs of more than 45,000 homes.
In 2012, more than 5 percent of TEP’s total retail sales were generated by renewable resources. TEP was selected as the 2012 Investor Owned Utility of the Year by the Solar Electric Power Association and is again this year a finalist for the award.
Tucson Electric Power provides safe, reliable electric service to approximately 408,000 customers in southern Arizona. To learn more, visit tep.com. For more information about UNS Energy, visit uns.com.
