000

Hanwha plans to Build a large Solar Plant in LaPaz County, Arizona

174 Power Global, Corp., a California-based subsidiary of South Korean company Hanwha, plans to construct, operate, maintain, and decommission a utility-scale photovoltaic solar facility (800 megawatts) on 4,654 acres of BLM-administered public land in southeastern La Paz County.  While the proposed site is likely within view of I-10 about midway between the Phoenix metro area and the California border, it is not near any sizable community.  The BLM held a public meeting in Quartzsite, West of the map image above, on February 19th.

The site, just south of Interstate 10, is close to a recently approved but still-to-be-constructed substation and a new 'Ten West Link' transmission line. The proposed project is still in the early stages. It must be approved by the BLM, then go through an environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act process, before it can be fully approved and construction can begin.  The location is ideal for selling the energy into both the Arizona and California markets.

Hanwha Q Cells recently opened the largest solar factory in the Western Hemisphere. The 300,000 square foot factory in Dalton, Georgia has the capacity to produce 12,000 PV modules per day, or 1.7 GW annually – the same peak generating capacity as the Hoover Dam. This project will use about half the annual production of the new plant.

APS- Residential Battery Pilot Program (Now completed)

Arizona Public Service Co. has introduced a Residential Battery Pilot Program.

The pilot is now available to APS residential customers who install residential battery systems, enroll in a TOU (Time of Use) or TOU-plus-demand service plan and commit to discharging their batteries during on-peak periods. (Note: Rate requirements are waived for customers on grandfathered solar rates.) The pilot will help APS learn about battery performance in a variety of conditions and how batteries may create value for customers through improved management of energy demand at their residence and help reduce stress on the electric grid. Customers will have two options to participate in the pilot: Data Only or Data and Battery Management.

With the Data Only option, the customer will agree to allow APS to access data associated with the battery system. The customer is eligible for an incentive of $500 per installed kWh for installed battery capacity, with a maximum incentive of $2,500 per home.

With the Data and Battery Management option, the customer will agree to allow APS access to data associated with the battery system and share up to 80% of the system’s capacity for a maximum of 100 events a year. The customer is eligible for an incentive of $500 per installed kWh for installed battery capacity plus an additional $1,250 per home, with a maximum combined incentive of $3,750 per home.

The customer incentive will be payable directly to the APS customer, with the exception that the APS customer may assign his or her incentive to an approved third party. In cases in which the customer assigns the incentive to the approved third party, the third party must demonstrate through documentation that they have compensated the customer for the full amount of the paid incentive amount approved by the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC). This documentation is required before the incentive will be paid.

Installers or battery inverter manufacturers will assist customers with pilot enrollment in the resource operating platform as well as submitting an interconnection application to APS. Program started on October 4, 2021.  As of Mid-November 2021 only the SolarEdge EnergyHub system with the new SolarEdge Energy Bank 10kWh Battery is covered and some of the Enphase ac batteries. Details at  http://www.aps.com/battery.

More information is available, see the 'Frequently Asked Questions' at this link.

Editorial note (December 2021): Reported that the SolarEdge Energy Bank 10kWh Battery will not be available until about March 2022.  The installer must be SolarEdge trained.

APS- Now Available: Residential Battery Pilot Program

Arizona Public Service Co. has introduced a Residential Battery Pilot Program, starting October 4, 2021.

The pilot will be available to APS residential customers who install residential battery systems, enroll in a TOU (Time of Use) or TOU-plus-demand service plan and commit to discharging their batteries during on-peak periods. (Note: Rate requirements are waived for customers on grandfathered solar rates.) The pilot will help APS learn about battery performance in a variety of conditions and how batteries may create value for customers through improved management of energy demand at their residence and help reduce stress on the electric grid.

Full Article

Arizona Statewide Transportation Electrification Plan

This is a good report that provides a conceptual framework for the Statewide Transportation Electrification Plan for Arizona, including planned or proposed near-term utility actions to support the growth of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in the state.

The report is part of a filing on the Arizona Corporation Commission website: Arizona Statewide Transportation Electrification Plan