SOLAR ENERGY
Solana provides a major step forward
for solar in Arizona
Solana Generating Station is one of the largest solar plants of its kind in the world. That’s great news not only for
the APS customers who are benefiting from this clean energy source, but also because of the jobs created by Solana
and other solar-related businesses.
A solar plant that
produces energy even when
the sun isn’t shining
A solar plant that can power
a city the size of Yuma
Located just outside of Gila Bend, Ariz.,
and visible along Interstate 8, Solana
Solana uses concentrating solar
is owned and built by Abengoa Solar.
power (CSP) technology with thermal
APS has an agreement to purchase
energy storage.
100 percent of the electricity
CSP technology uses the sun’s heat
generated from Solana for 30 years.
to produce energy, rather than the
• The 250-megawatt (MW) solar
sun’s light, which allows it to continue
power plant began operation
generating power after sundown.
in fall 2013.
This is particularly important in the
hot Arizona summers, when the
highest customer demand for power
continues into the evening.
• Operating at full capacity, Solana
A solar plant that is
good for the environment, the
economy and you
• Pollution-free energy.
• Developed on land formerly used
for agriculture, using 75 percent less
can serve more than 70,000
Arizona homes.
• 2,700 parabolic solar trough
collectors cover 3 square miles.
That’s about the size of 1,452
professional football fields.
water than the land’s prior use.
• 1,500 construction jobs brought
to Arizona, along with 85 jobs for
highly trained technicians.
• RioGlass in Surprise, Ariz., added
100 high-quality jobs to build the
900,000 mirrors for Solana.
• Local businesses benefit from the
sale of general goods and services,
creating approximately 11,000 to
15,000 additional related jobs.
• More than a $1 billion economic
impact to the state.
CS#1302012R8
50 football fields