Empowering An Overview of Solar Project Development, Deployment and Innovations Photos courtesy of TUSD & Paul M. Ingram/TucsonSentinel.com
Your Presenter and Natural Power and Energy Matt Shannon, VP Sales and Marketing Over a fourteen year career in the Arizona solar industry, Matt has been involved in the project development and management of tens of millions of watts of commercial, school, government and residential solar projects throughout Arizona. Natural Power and Energy (NPE) is a leading Arizona- Based Solar Provider. We have worked on over 23 MW s of completed solar projects (with 15 MW in-process). We are invested in Southern Arizona through projects with TIA, NB of Arizona, Raytheon and today s focus, TUSD. 2
TUSD Ribbon-Cutting Tucson International Airport National Bank of Arizona 3
Project Solar Power System Facts Approximately 11 megawatt DC solar installation. 19 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of expected energy production in the first year. 42 school sites served by solar systems installed on both parking canopies and shade canopies over fields and playground areas. Approximately 80% of the electricity required at each site is expected to be produced by over 36,000 polycrystalline modules (solar panels). 4
Solar Power System Operation The District is having Grid-tie solar power systems installed. These highly reliable solar systems will generate electricity and function just the same as the solar systems seen at the University of Arizona campus, National Bank of Arizona, TIA and many more recognizable places around town. Any excess AC electricity is fed back to TEP and accounted for via net metering DC electricity generated when the sun shines on the shade structure integrated solar modules AC electricity from string inverters is fed directly into the site electrical gear and used onsite 5
Solar Services Agreement (SSA) A long-term, risk-free contract allowing TUSD as the Host Customer to benefit from the systems installed at the District s schools and pay only for what the systems produce. The ownership of the systems and the ongoing operation, maintenance, monitoring and payment administration is carried out by Constellation, the System Owner. The Project Developer, Natural Power and Energy is responsible for getting the systems from the drawing board to generating electricity. 6
Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) TUSD will retain full ownership of the environmental attributes/renewable Energy Credits (RECs), associated with the project s clean energy production. This is quite rare, as most projects sell their environmental credits to the local utility in exchange for an incentive. No TEP incentives, such as Production Based Incentives, were available for the project. That the District retained it s RECs represents a potentially significant source of untapped additional income for the District over the next two decades. 7
Project Environmental Benefits & Savings 1st Year savings to the District of approximately $170,000 Based on the flat SSA cost per kwh rate versus TEP rate plan Total 20-year savings of approx. $11,000,000 Based on a conservative yearly TEP rate increase of 1.5% Total 20-year savings of approx. $20,000,000 Based on a reasonable yearly TEP rate increase of 3% 19,400 tons of CO2 expected to be saved in the Year 1 Equivalent to the emissions of 4,042 passenger vehicles annually (US EPA Data) 8
Project Benefits to School Curriculum TUSD will incorporate a solar educational component, encouraging students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Installed solar systems will feature online data monitoring accessible from any internet enabled device. Data monitoring will allow students and teachers to view the performance of the systems instantly as well as examine them for more detailed analysis. 9
Project Deployment The project is being constructed in phases with the final systems expected to be coming on-line in Q2 of 2015. The phases are deployed in a counter-clockwise manner across the District boundaries in Tucson to localize construction activities The first group of schools that have been solarized includes Marshall, Erickson, Gale, Henry, Soleng Tom and Wheeler Elementary Schools, as well as Secrist Middle School. Construction at each school lasts about eight to ten weeks with safety and minimal site disruption a primary requirement. 10
Project Innovations & Efficiencies Optimized Configurations: 1000V String Inverters and Modules Reduced BOS components, reduced labor costs, less copper = Lower Cost per Watt Solar Piranha Mounting/Bonding Device for Installing Modules Half the cost of other bonding/mounting devices, greatly reduced use of copper for grounding. CORE Construction and NPE Design-Build Momentum The TUSD project benefits from design and construction efficiencies gained from multi-mw solar shade structure projects with Dysart Unified, Buckeye Unified High School and Buckeye Elementary School Districts. 11
Site Specific Challenges & Opportunities The systems must be installed in areas at each site that make the most economical sense and comply with key design considerations such as distance to the site s electrical gear, solar panel orientation, shading and easements. Considerations such as preserving large play areas (such as baseball fields) and avoiding the need to remove trees and landscaping are important factors that play into the system locations that have been identified as the best fit for each site. Much effort has been dedicated to coordinating with the stakeholders of each site (Principals, Neighbors) through Community Presentations as well multi-step Site Reviews and Sign-off s. 12
Q & A 13