Solar Power Will Provide an Estimated 75 Percent of the Total Energy Needed to
Power Davis-Monthan`s Soaring Heights Communities
TUCSON, Ariz.--(Business Wire)--
Housing developer Actus Lend Lease, SolarCity, Tucson Electric Power (TEP), and
financing parties National Bank of Arizona and U.S. Bancorp Community
Development Corporation (USBCDC) are working to create one of the nation`s
largest distributed, community-wide solar power systems at Soaring Heights
Communities at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Upon completion, the community is
expected to be the largest solar-powered community in the continental U.S. The
solar systems are expected to produce more than 10 million kilowatt hours of
electricity annually-sufficient to provide an estimated 75 percent of the
residents` energy use next year-and could eventually offset 100 percent of
Soaring Heights Communities` electricity use.
Soaring Heights Communities at Davis-Monthan will also be Arizona`s largest
solar-powered community. The complete installation is expected to include six
megawatts of total solar capacity in a combination of a ground-mounted
photovoltaic (PV) system and rooftop solar systems that will be installed on
approximately 900 residences. National Bank of Arizona will own the 45,000 panel
ground-mounted system, which accounts for more than 3.3 megawatts of solar
capacity. The balance of the system is expected to consist of 36,000 more panels
in the rooftop arrays. The rooftop systems are being financed within an existing
SolarCity fund, which was financed by U.S. Bancorp Community Development
Corporation (USBCDC) earlier this year.
The solar systems will be designed and installed by SolarCity and will be
interconnected by TEP. The entire project is estimated to represent an increase
of more than 15 percent over Arizona`s current grid-tied solar capacity.
Collectively, the installation is expected to offset more than 570 million
pounds of carbon dioxide over its lifetime, the equivalent of taking
approximately 50,000 cars off the road for a year, or planting more than 300,000
trees.
Soaring Heights Communities will also be one of the first solar-powered
communities on an Air Force Base in the U.S. Actus Lend Lease is currently
developing one of the world`s largest solar powered communities at its Army
Hawaii Family Housing complex. Upon completion, the Army Hawaii Family Housing
project will be the largest solar-powered community in the U.S. Through its
partnership with the U.S. Air Force, Actus Lend Lease leases Soaring Heights
Communities homes to military families.
"We are very excited about the Soaring Heights Communities project because it
allows us to leverage our background and expertise in renewable energy
initiatives as they relate to community development," said Dale Connor, Actus
Lend Lease managing director. "We look forward to working closely with our
partners and the Department of Defense to set a standard for sustainable living
here in Arizona and throughout the country."
Starting earlier this month, SolarCity began installing 1,000 PV modules per day
on previously vacant land near Soaring Heights Communities. Homes in the
community have been selected for solar installations based on their specific
location and suitability for solar panels. Most of the homes selected for solar
system installations are new dwellings built to the rigorous energy efficiency
standards of TEP`s Guarantee Home Program, while some are existing homes.
"As Arizona`s largest community bank, and driver in the growth of our state`s
economy, National Bank of Arizona is making a sound investment in Arizona`s
renewable energy future by funding the ground-mounted solar array. We`re pleased
to finance what will generate positive economic and environmental impact in
Arizona," said Craig Robb, National Bank of Arizona executive vice president and
chief financial officer.
TEP will provide incentives through its customer-funded SunShare program to
reduce the long-term cost of Soaring Heights Communities` photovoltaic
installation. Both systems` output will help TEP work toward the renewable
energy goals established by the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC).
"Through the SunShare incentives that make this project possible, every TEP
customer will be invested in the success of this remarkable new solar-powered
community," said David Hutchens, vice president of energy efficiency and
resource planning for TEP and its parent company, UniSource Energy Corporation
(NYSE: UNS). "This project will help shrink the carbon footprint of Tucson`s
largest military base while setting a new standard for distributed solar power
systems."
SolarCity will be outfitting the solar systems with SolarGuard monitoring
systems to measure solar electricity production, and to measure the performance
of the ground-mounted arrays against the rooftop arrays. The monitors will
ensure that the system performs as predicted and inform both SolarCity and TEP
about how such arrays might interact with the smart grid of the future.
"Soaring Heights Communities is truly a solar city, and our largest installation
to date," said SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive. "We expect this project to be a
springboard for additional clean power development in Arizona, one of the best
locations for solar in the world."
About Actus Lend Lease
Actus Lend Lease is the nation`s leader in public/private community development.
With a focus on creating sustainable value, Actus Lend Lease communities are
unrivaled in their attention to design, technology and environmental
sensitivity. Known for its innovative initiatives Actus Lend Lease has developed
some of the most sustainable communities throughout the military including: one
of the world`s largest solar powered communities at Army Hawaii, New York
State`s largest energy efficient community development at Fort Drum Mountain
Community Homes and the largest LEED-Silver certified community in the state of
Texas at Fort Hood (Saddlestone Ranch). Actus is also constructing the first
Zero Energy Home on a military installation and was chosen as the Department of
Energy`s partner to launch Operation Change Out, an initiative geared at
replacing all incandescent light bulbs with the more energy efficient CFLs on
all military installations. Actus has garnered many national awards for its
sustainable initiatives including the 2009 Department of Energy, Excellence in
Energy Star Promotions Award. For more information, visit actuslendlease.com.
About National Bank of Arizona
Founded in Tucson, Ariz., in 1984, National Bank of Arizona is a community bank
serving professionals and meeting the needs of small and mid-sized Arizona
businesses. Arizona`s fourth-largest bank with more than $4.8 billion in assets,
National Bank has over 75 offices throughout the state. For more information,
visit nbarizona.com.
About Tucson Electric Power
Tucson Electric Power, a subsidiary of UniSource Energy, provides safe, reliable
power and a variety of green energy options to more than 400,000 customers in
the Tucson metropolitan area. For more information, visit tep.com. For more
information about UniSource Energy, visit uns.com.
About U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation
With assets of over $6 billion, U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation
(USBCDC) finances community development and affordable housing projects through
the use of New Markets Tax Credits, Historic Tax Credits, Low-Income Housing Tax
Credits, and Investment Tax Credits in Renewable Energy. USBCDC is a subsidiary
of U.S. Bank and U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB). Through U.S. Bank, U.S. Bancorp, and
other subsidiaries, the company operates 2,850 banking offices and over 5,000
ATMs in 24 states, and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage,
insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to
consumers, businesses and institutions. Visit U.S. Bancorp on the web at
www.usbank.com.
About SolarCity
SolarCity-a national leader in solar power system design, financing,
installation, monitoring and related services-was founded with the mission to
help millions of homeowners and businesses adopt clean power, protect themselves
from rising electricity costs, and protect their environment from polluting
power sources. The company`s SolarLease, PurePower and Commercial Power Purchase
Agreement (PPA) options can make it possible for homeowners and businesses to
switch to clean, solar power for less money than they currently pay for
electricity. SolarCity currently serves 500 communities in California, Arizona
and Oregon. Additional information about the company is available on the Web at
www.solarcity.com.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6082441&lang=en
SolarCity
Jonathan Bass, 650-963-5156
jbass@solarcity.com
or
Actus Lend Lease
Cindy Gersch, 615-720-3998
Marketing Director
Cindy.Gersch@actuslendlease.com
or
National Bank of Arizona
David Weissman, 480-317-6072
david.weissman@rrpartners.com
or
Tucson Electric Power
Joe Salkowski, 520-884-3625
jsalkowski@tep.com
or
Cohn Marketing for Actus Lend Lease
Kate McDaniel, 303-839-1415 ext. 28
kate@cohnmarketing.com
or
A&R Edelman for SolarCity
Emily Chamberlin Douglas, 650-762-2945
emily.douglas@ar-edelman.com
Copyright Business Wire 2009
