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

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

May 14, 2026
MN8 Energy has raised US$300 million to extend a corporate credit facility that will build out its pipeline of US solar and storage projects.
May 14, 2026
Canadian Solar has posted a quarter-on-quarter decline in both solar module shipments and net revenues in the first quarter of 2026.
May 14, 2026
Kiwa PVEL has rolled out updates to its module testing programme, with two changes affecting Static Mechanical Load (SML) and hail testing.
May 14, 2026
Arava Power has acquired 50% of OCI Energy’s La Salle Solar project, a 670MW project that OCI expects to start commercial operations in 2028.
May 14, 2026
Norway-headquartered technical and safety expert DNV has published two new standards for the design and maintenance of floating solar PV (FPV) systems.
May 14, 2026
New Zealand's government has ordered a sector review into the installation of residential and small to medium-scale solar, aiming to reduce what it describes as a "red tape nightmare" that can delay approvals for months.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
May 20, 2026
Porto, Portugal
Upcoming Webinars
May 27, 2026
9am BST / 10am CEST
Upcoming Webinars
May 27, 2026
9am BST / 10am CEST
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
June 3, 2026
National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai)
Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA