SunPower and Salt River Project (SRP) recently announced that they will be developing a 1MW solar PV plant at Arizona State University’s (ASU) Polytechnic campus in Mesa, Arizona. The organizations advised that this will be the first commercial deployment of SunPower’s C7 Tracker technology. SunPower will lead the engineering and construction of the plant while additionally operating and maintaining it upon completion.
SRP advised that under a PPA, it will buy the entire output of energy from the solar project from SunPower. Under a separate agreement, ASU will acquire all of the energy attributable to the plant for use at its polytechnic campus. The companies advised that the construction of the plant is dependent upon several factors, including the receipt of all applicable permits.
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“As we continue to add resources to our sustainable portfolio, SRP is very interested in finding new low-cost and efficient renewable-energy technologies that can help keep our customers' prices low,” said John Sullivan, SRP's chief resource executive. “SunPower's C7 Tracker System is the type of promising technology that can provide both benefits.”
SunPower’s C7 Tracker will combine single-axis tracking technology with rows of parabolic mirrors, which reflect light onto SunPower Maxeon solar cells. According to the company, this technology will allow the 1MW plant at ASU to require only 172kW of SunPower solar cells.