Arizona Public Service brings Solon-built 17MW Cotton Center Solar Plant online in Gila Bend

December 8, 2011
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Arizona Public Service’s (APS) Cotton Center solar plant has officially come online in Gila Bend, Arizona. The 17MW facility was developed and constructed by Solon and brings APS’ total renewable portfolio to 930MW. Constructed on 145 acres, and using over 93,000 single-axis tracking PV panels that were placed in 1,662 rows, the project is expected to fulfill the energy needs of over 4,000 APS customers.

“With AZ Sun, APS is investing in 100MW of solar photovoltaic power plants across the state, providing a substantial boost to Arizona’s growing solar industry by financing the projects – the end result is a win for our company, a win for our customers and a win for Arizona,” said Pat Dinkel, APS VP of power marketing, research planning and acquisition. “Cotton Center is the culmination of a great partnership between APS, Solon and the Town of Gila Bend.”

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Gila Bend is also the location of APS’s first AZ Sun facility, Paloma, which was brought into commercial operation in August. Additionally, just outside Gila Bend, the 250MW Solana Generation Station is being constructed, which is expected to be in commercial operation by mid-2013.

Read Next

December 22, 2025
The Chinese government has lodged a complaint against India with the World Trade Organization over alleged subsidies to its solar industry.
December 22, 2025
European Energy has secured approval for its 1.1GW Upper Calliope solar project in Queensland near Gladstone, Australia. 
December 22, 2025
Emmvee, through its subsidiary Emmvee Energy, has begun operations at its 2.5GW solar module manufacturing plant in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
December 22, 2025
The PV Review, 2025: this year has seen many papers and reports on solar PV modules reliability and performance issues, especially with TOPCon.
Premium
December 22, 2025
Tracker producer Nextracker has rebranded as Nextpower to reflect the wider portfolio of products and services it now offers.
December 22, 2025
As utility-scale solar projects grow, managing voltage drops remains a critical challenge for EPCs and system designers. Jason Coleman of Terrasmart explores how optimising eBOS architecture offers a solution while delivering cost savings.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
April 15, 2026
Milan, Italy
Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA
Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland