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The Sun At Work -- Virtual Exhibition of Photographs
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The Sun At
Work Virtual Exhibition
Sixty years ago the International Solar Energy Society
was launched in Phoenix. A group of industrial, financial
and agricultural leaders established the Association for Applied
Solar Energy as a non-profit organization. The following
year, two important meetings were held in Tucson and
Phoenix, attracting more than 1000 scientists, engineers and
government officials from 36 different countries. The Phoenix event
was highlighted by an exhibit of solar technology. This issue of
The Sun Day Times celebrates that event and the progress
over the past 60 years with our special two-minute: The Sun At Work
-- A Virtual Exhibition Of Photographs.
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See
some of the solar news you may have missed in our December
Rewind presented below.
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APS powers up
four solar systems with 62 megawatts
Last
month, APS began receiving power from four new solar power
plants generating 62 megawatts of clean energy. The solar plants
that came on-line include the 18-megawatt Foothills Phase II
plant and the 14-megawatt Hyder II plant, both owned by APS and
located near Yuma. The 15-megawatt Badger and Gillespie solar
power plants are located on federal lands in western Arizona and are
selling their output to APS.
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SRP to lower
solar prices
Salt River
Project plans to lower prices for its Community Solar program because
interest in the project has been extremely low with the availability
of cheaper, cost-saving rooftop solar panels. SRP introduced its
Community Solar program in 2011 with the clean energy coming from its
20-megawatt Copper Crossing Solar Ranch in Florence. SRP customers
can purchase power from the plant in a program that mimics
a customer having solar on their own roof. The new proposed
price is 9.9 cents per kilowatt-hour for residential customers and
8.9 cents for businesses or schools.
Read more
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Solar Captures
Sun and Creates Shade At Tucson Airport
The
1-MW first phase of a 2.5-MW solar parking lot canopy
installation at Tucson International Airport photovoltaic array, is
now operational. The installation offsets about a fifth of the
terminal's power needs.
Read more
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Prescott,
Scottsdale seize solar energy to power parishes
Two parishes
in the Diocese of Phoenix are leading the way in stewardship efforts
when it comes to harnessing Arizona's sunshine. Blessed
Sacrament Parish in Scottsdale and Prescott's Sacred Heart Parish and
School expect to generate a majority of their electricity from their
new rooftop solar systems.
Read more.
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Solar Net
Metering battle one of the top energy stories
in Phoenix
In Arizona,
solar became hot for what participants would consider some
not-so-good reasons. Solar was a big topic for a battle
between installers and APS over how much the utility paid customers
for excess power, known as net metering. APS proposed $50 to $100
increases to solar customers' monthly bills to help defray costs to
non-solar customers.
Read more.
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Commissioners OK
incentives for solar water heaters
The ACC
approved $500,000 in incentives for solar water heaters in APS
territory next year. The incentives will help APS meet its
renewable-energy standard, which requires the utility to get 15
percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025
Read more.
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Communications
Director
Arizona Solar Energy Center
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The Arizona Solar
Center's Sun Day Blog welcomes dialogue around posted
topics. Your expertise and perspective are highly valued -- so if you
haven't logged in and contributed, please do so.
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This year marked
the 35th anniversary of Sun Day - May 3, 1978. President Jimmy Carter
proclaimed that day as "Sun Day" and called upon the American
people to observe the occasion with appropriate activities and
ceremonies to demonstrate the potential of solar energy. As we
close out 2013, it is a good time to look back at how far we have come
since those days as we remember the top ten solar new stories of the
year in Arizona. (Read more)
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The Rising Sun
Dec. 22, 2013
The popular
viewpoint that solar energy is an expensive form of electricity is
dwindling, undone by significant cost reductions in recent years. And
although the industry itself remains in its infancy, costs have dropped
so dramatically that cost parity has been in achieved in certain areas.
The real game changer, however, may be yet to come.
(Read more)
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A New Era For
Solar Power
Dec. 15, 2013
Technological improvements, plummeting solar equipment
costs and increases in the price of traditional energy sources have all
contributed to solar energy becoming an economical alternative to
traditional energy sources in certain situations. While we are now
living in a new era of solar power, there is yet more change on the
horizon. The Arizona Corporation Commission has opened a docket
to foster discussion into the innovations that are making inroads into
the energy services sector.
(Read more)
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