SOLON Corporation Begins Construction on 460kW Solar Project
in Gila Bend, Arizona
TUCSON, Ariz., Jul 09, 2012 -- BUSINESS WIRE
SOLON Corporation, one of the largest providers of turnkey
solar power plants and photovoltaic (PV) products in the U.S.,
today announced it has begun construction on a 460 kilowatt (kW)
photovoltaic (PV) system for the Town of Gila Bend's Reverse
Osmosis (RO) Water Treatment Facility in Arizona.
SOLON will engineer, design, construct and commission the
fixed-tilt system, expected to be completed later this year. As
a full-service system provider, SOLON will continue to operate
and maintain the system on behalf of the town once it is
operational.
The project development and system ownership is being
financed through a State of Arizona grant - part of the Water
Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA) grant awarded to the
Town of Gila Bend for drinking water infrastructure
improvements. Once completed, the system is expected to provide
an 86% energy usage offset to the town's RO Water Treatment
Facility, resulting in significant annual electricity cost
savings.
"Energy costs associated with operating a water treatment
facility can account for a large portion of its total operating
budget. These facilities also tend to have surrounding areas of
land that are otherwise unusable," said Jared Schoch, Vice
President and General Manager, Power Plants for SOLON
Corporation. "SOLON's proven experience building systems for
water and wastewater treatment facilities combined with solar
being an extremely efficient use of land is a winning
combination and a great way to lower a facility's operating
costs."
"This project further exemplifies Gila Bend's continued
leadership in the emerging solar industry. Already a world
leader in utility scale solar, Gila Bend continues its
innovative policy making by extending its efforts to
distributive energy," said Fredrick Buss, Town Manager for Gila
Bend. "Through highly qualified partners like SOLON, this
project will not only enable the town to provide clean,
renewable solar energy, it will also enable the town and its
customers to save money on electricity costs, thereby
significantly reducing the need to adjust water rates. This is a
big win for our community."
In October 2011, SOLON completed a 21 MW single-axis tracking
system in Gila Bend, Arizona.
About SOLON Corporation:
SOLON Corporation (www.SOLON.com) is a leading provider of
utility-scale and large commercial photovoltaic (PV) system
solutions to the North American market. SOLON delivers complete
and cost-effective turnkey PV systems to its partners with a
streamlined approach from project development, design and
construction to financing and operation. With NA headquarters in
Tucson, AZ and offices in Phoenix and San Francisco, SOLON is
driven by a passion for innovation and a commitment to providing
superior solar solutions with unrivalled quality and
reliability. Founded in 2007, SOLON Corporation is a subsidiary
of the SOLON Group, a leading international provider of solar
solutions for residential, commercial and utility-scale
applications. The SOLON Group operates subsidiaries in Germany,
Italy, and the U.S. with more than 600 employees worldwide. For
more information, visit www.SOLON.com.
SOURCE: SOLON Corporation
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