Solar Zone at UA Tech Park

 Eighty-five percent of the year, the sun shines in Tucson, making the Solar Zone at UA Tech Park the perfect place for testing, evaluation, and demonstration of solar technologies. The Solar Zone is one of a number of "innovation hubs" at the Tech Park. Ten companies and organizations test and demonstrate a variety of solar technologies and systems.  The site is designed to generate 25 megawatts of power, which is nearly twice the daily electrical consumption of the Tech Park and enough to power the homes of more than than 4,600 TEP residential consumers for a year.

 Click here to download the Solar Zone brochure

Here, researchers and companies work together to evaluate how these technologies perform side-by-side under identical operating conditions. And not only do we have a lot of sunshine, but we have great sunshine - it shines here with optimal solar radiance. That means that solar technologies can be tested efficiently and thoroughly year-round.

The Solar Zone at the UA Tech Park is one of the largest multi-technology solar demonstration sites at the grid level in the United States. The first-of-its-kind solar-centric research park integrates:

• Power generation and distribution
• Research and development
• Assembly and manufacturing
• Product development
• Testing and evaluation
• Workforce training
• Public educational outreach and demonstration

Phase One of the Solar Zone is a partnership between the University of Arizona and Tucson Electric Power. Its focus is on installing multiple solar technologies so that when the power is generated, these technologies can be tested and evaluated side-by-side under identical operating conditions.  University of Arizona researchers are testing everything from solar power forecasting to the environmental impact of solar energy installations. Phase One incudes 95,000 solar panels and more than 100 solar concentrators that generate power.

Phase Two focuses research and the development on energy storage, grid optimization and micro grids, distributed solar systems, and integrated and embedded solar materials. Phase Two will allow the demonstration of products and their cost effectiveness in the market. 

Applications may range from military usages, to transportation, to consumer electronics. Advances such as nanotechnology will drive this research and development by reducing size and weight and increasing efficiency.

Key Facts

• The Solar Zone occupies 223 acres of land
• Projects are capable of generating 25 MW of power
• 10 MW of Power Storage
• Tucson Electric Power uses all power generated in the Solar Zone to expand its renewable energy resources in Southern Arizona

Strategic Advantage

• The Solar Zone offers:
• Abundant space: Our spacious site allows you to test various technologies side by side under similar condition
• Raw material: Our Southern Arizona location provides an exceptionally high level of solar irradiance
• Speed to market: Our understanding of the solar industry facilitates companies' success
• Talent: The University of Arizona is training the next generation of solar professionals
• Expertise: The Solar Zone is part of the University of Arizona, which has internationally recognized expertise in solar and renewable energy. UA entities involved in the Solar Zone include the Arizona Research Institute for Solar Energy, College of Engineering, College of Science, College of Optics, Department of Physics, the UA Institute for the Environment, and Biosphere 2

​Contact us to learn how your company can be part of this award-winning community of solar innovators.

Companies at the Solar Zone

These companies and organizations are part of the Solar Zone at UA Tech Park:
 

• Arzon Solar

  • Arzon Solar, LLC (Company), Amonix Inc. (Brand)

  • 2 MW powering 250 homes

  • 36 Solar Structure on 16.1 acres

  • Dual Axis Tracking Concentrated Photovoltaic Structures (CPV)

• Dimensional Energy

• Gatos Montes Solar, LLC

  • Duke Energy

  • 6 MW powering 822 homes

  • 44,000 thin film panels on 37.41 acres

  • Fixed Position Photovoltaic Panels (Thin Film)

• Iron Horse Energy Storage & Solar

  • RWE Climate & Renewables

  • 10 MW / 2.5 MWh lithium titanate oxide storage facility

  • 2.4 MW solar array for Tucson Electric Power (TEP)

• Tech Park Solar

  • RWE Climate & Renewables

  • 6MW powering 1,181 homes

  • 24,000 solar panels on 37.3 acres

  • Single Axis Tracking Photovoltaic Panels (c-Si and JA)

• Tucson Electric Power / Solon

  • 5 MW powering 609 homes

  • 21,294 Solon Solar Panels on 33.31 acres 

  • Fixed Position Photovoltaic Panels (c-Si)

• Tucson Electric Power / Solon (Bright Tucson Community Solar)

  • 1.6 MW powering 258 homes

  • 5,808 Solar Panels on 13.9 acres 

  • Single Axis, Tracking Photovoltaic Panels (c-Si)

  • 500 kW of Lithium-Ion Battery Storage

• Washington Gas Energy Systems, Inc. | Arcadia Solar, LLC

  • Washington Gas Energy | Arcadia Solar, LLC

  • 1.1 MW powering 96 homes

  • 9 acres (4 acres solar)

  • Single Axis Tracking Flat Photovoltaic Module Arrays