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Solar Battery Field to be Constructed in Chino Valley

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APS hopes to retire its coal-fired generation plants by 2031.

Construction for the multi-million dollar Battery Energy Storage System, BESS, is scheduled to begin in October at the existing Arizona Public Service (APS) solar field located at 1900 E. Road 4 South in Chino Valley.

Explaining details of the project to the Chino Valley Town Council and several members of the public during an early evening town council meeting on April 26, APS Division Director for Northern Arizona Mackenzie Rodgers said when complete, BESS will capture solar energy during the day and store it for customer use after sunset. Construction should be finished by the end of April, she said, with BESS operating in May 2023. “Our pre-application process is complete and we are moving forward.”

“The capacity of the 19-megawatt battery system – about 100,000 battery cells – is large enough to power more than 10,000 homes for four hours,” Rodgers said. The batteries operate silently.

She introduced APS employee David Clark, who is an expert on battery use and installation.

In her presentation, Rodgers showed where the fenced 150-acre solar plant will be located. The land occupied by the battery system is half an acre. The 120 cubes holding the battery cells will be side by side. Each cube will contain 832 battery cells, totaling 99,840 battery cells. A cell is 3 inches by 7 inches by 8 inches.

The original solar farm is now 11 years old.

Rodgers said BESS is another step in the APS commitment to providing 100% carbon-free clean energy to customers by mid-century. “As of today, we are producing 50% clean energy and we want to reach 65% clean within the next eight years.”

APS hopes to retire its coal-fired generation plants by 2031. The utility company wants to increase battery storage and support the transition with abundant natural gas.

“Our project here in Chino Valley will let us deliver cleaner energy to customers at times of peak energy demands,” said Rodgers. “Our research has shown that energy demand is highest in the evening during mid-summer when air conditioner units are running and people are home cooking and watching television. As a result, customers will have access to solar energy even when the sun is down. Dinner time, primetime television viewing and nighttime lighting will be provided by a cleaner energy mix.”

In concluding comments, Rodgers said APS crews are clearing brush and trash around utility poles. “We want to be certain that in the event of a wildfire, none of our utility poles are jeopardized. We make that commitment to our customers, that our facilities and resources are going to be fire-safe. We have defensible space around all our facilities,” she said.

APS, founded in 1886, is Arizona’s largest and longest-serving public utility. The investor-owned public service company serves 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties. QCBN

By Ray Newton, QCBN

APS Meeting Challenges, Encouraging Energy Conservation

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As utilities face severe weather, the reduction of coal-fired power plants, increasing costs of oil and gas, aging power grids, wildfires, threats of cybersecurity interference and concern that hydro turbines at Lake Powell and Lake Mead may not being able to produce enough power for clients in the Southwest, APS is encouraging customers to conserve energy.

“We intend to meet our customers’ energy needs for another 135 years and beyond in a way that reduces our environmental impact,” APS Northern Arizona Division Director Mackenzie Rodgers, stationed in Prescott, said. “The best way to do that is by reducing the net carbon output of power production and instead focus on generating 100% clean and carbon-free energy by 2050.”

She reported that the utility’s system worked well through severe winter storms and explained that the goal of ending all coal-fired energy by 2031 is ahead of schedule. “That’s seven years sooner than we had previously projected because of our aggressive path to stop using coal.”

APS is Arizona born, a company that has been in business for over 135 years. “In Prescott, APS grew out of what was the home of Northern Arizona Power and merged with Central Arizona Power and Light Company (CAPLC). That became APS as we know it today,” said Rodgers. “Hard to believe that CAPLC was once the source for the oil that was used to light streetlights around Courthouse Plaza. APS has deep roots and great pride in Prescott.”

Clean energy currently is being generated with solar, wind and nuclear power. “Sustainable energy is a key concept with APS,” she said. “Most people don’t know that Palo Verde is the nation’s largest producer of energy and is totally clean and carbon-free.”

It is also the largest commercial taxpayer in Arizona, with an annual economic impact of more than $2 billion.

Meanwhile, the utility and other power companies are hyper-aware of threats of cyber-attacks. “We partner with the government through industry partnerships to share actionable intelligence, deploy state-of-the-art tools, and mitigate supply chain risks,” she said.

APS offers incentives to encourage customers to reduce their energy use when demand is high. “We constantly urge energy-efficient programs and appliances,” said Rodgers. “APS wants to be able to serve peak demands during the hottest times of the year. We also want our regulated reserve margins to be met to maintain grid stability for customers.”

APS is partnering with residential customers with the installation of smart thermostats through the Cool Rewards program. The company also urges residents to consider rooftop solar.

For more information, visit APS.com/brighter. QCBN

By Ray Newton, QCBN

APS Feeds Hungry, Shelters Homeless

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Those interested may apply for various forms of support.

For some in Central and Northern Arizona, APS provides much more than electricity. The largest electric utility in Arizona, APS contributes more than $10 million annually to community organizations and programs to help those in need of food and/or shelter.

“Combatting hunger and ensuring food security are important focus areas within one of our strategic pillars – human needs and services,” said APS Director of Community Affairs Tina Marie Tentori. “For example, our giving programs support many different organizations in the greater Prescott and Flagstaff area. Of those organizations that address hunger and homelessness, APS gives to Prescott Meals on Wheels, the Coalition for Compassion and Justice, Prescott U.S. Vets, Flagstaff Shelter Services, Flagstaff Family Food Center and Housing Solutions for Northern Arizona.”

She added that APS also contributes to Habitat for Humanity, United Way, the Area Agency for Aging and Big Brothers Big Sisters in these same communities.

She noted that APS employees statewide have contributed more than $44,000 to the Arizona Food Bank Network, which provides more than 4.6 million pounds of food, or 3.6 million meals. Tentori also commented that APS donates more than $10 million annually to qualified organizations and programs that are dedicated to improving the lives of Arizonans.

APS Media Relations Manager Jill Hanks serves on the board for the Ronald McDonald House of Central and Northern Arizona. She says the houses served 138 families from four counties who received 1,915 nights of housing valued at $107 a night through the collective efforts of those who contributed to the organization.

Hanks notes a key program that APS supports through the Ronald McDonald House of Central and Northern Arizona is “Dinnertime Heroes,” which provides meals for these families.

Those interested may apply for various forms of support. Applications must be filed from Feb.1 to Oct. 15. More information about the community impact grants can be found on the APS website, aps.com. QCBN

By Ray Newton, QCBN

Solar After Sunset

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Arizona Public Service customers will soon be powering their evening dinners, prime-time television programs and bedtime reading lights with a cleaner energy mix. That news comes from Jeff Burke, the director of resource planning at APS, as the utility announces its initiative to add massive battery storage to its existing solar power plants, stand-alone energy storage and build new solar facilities with storage.
    “This is big and coming on quickly,” said Burke. This will be one of the largest solar battery storage installations to date in the industry – bigger than all the batteries installed across the U.S. combined last year.”

The effort is designed to provide solar power after the sun sets. “That is really important in going forward with our clean energy mix,” he said. “During Arizona’s hot summertime, we’ll be able to charge batteries early in the morning. As the sun goes down, use of electricity goes up and is at its most expensive. We’ll soon be able to use that excess solar energy on the grid so we can provide clean resources to our customers at an affordable cost.”

Traditionally, the additional energy needed to meet customers’ peak demand in the summer has been generated from natural gas. With this new direction, Burke says APS will use 150 megawatts of solar-fueled battery storage to meet part of the demand when energy usage peaks. 

APS currently provides customers with an energy mix that is 50 percent clean and getting cleaner, say officials. The latest initiative will add 850 megawatts of battery storage and at least 100 megawatts of new solar generation by 2025, for a total of 950 megawatts of new clean-energy technology. 

The addition of 850 megawatts of new clean resources to APS’s portfolio is estimated to provide enough power to meet the peak requirement of up to 275,000 residential customers on an average summer day.

“Another way to put it into perspective is that these new clean energy projects are the equivalent of adding the power of more than three million solar panels or more than 9,000 electric cars to Arizona’s energy mix,” explained Burke.

He adds that the battery storage plan is now possible because technology is maturing and costs associated with solar battery storage are declining. “We’re finding opportunities to pair the two together and make sure we can still maintain reliable, affordable service.”

“This represents a major down payment on Arizona’s continued progress toward an energy future that is clean, reliable and affordable,” said APS Chairman and CEO Don Brandt. “Arizona is already a national leader in solar energy. The challenge is, no one has figured out how to stop the sun from setting at night. As storage technology improves and declines in cost, we will increasingly be able to store the power of the sun cost-effectively to deliver when our customers need it.”  

The first stage of the plan includes retrofitting all existing APS solar facilities and upgrading them with 200 megawatts of battery storage systems. A team led by Invenergy is scheduled to install six of the new battery systems at solar plants in Maricopa County and Yuma to be in place by 2020. Two more upgrades are expected to be completed by 2021. 
Meanwhile, APS plans to build an additional 500 megawatts of solar storage and stand-alone battery storage by 2025. The first project is a 100-megawatt solar-storage plant. APS is already partnering with Tempe-based First Solar to build a first-of-its-kind solar-plus-storage project that will be one of the largest in the country when completed in 2021.

Officials say the utility company plans to use less natural gas as cleaner technologies become available. 

“Large-scale battery storage is a critical step on the path to reliable and affordable clean-energy solutions,” said The Nature Conservancy State Director Pat Graham in a news release. “Clean energy and clean air are important to the health of our communities and the lands and water upon which all life depends.” QCBN

By Bonnie Stevens, QCBN