Tucson Electric Power (TEP) is partnering with AREVA Solar on an innovative concentrated solar power (CSP) addition to TEP’s H. Wilson Sundt Generating Station in Tucson, Ariz. Tucson Electric Power’s Sundt Solar Boost Project will use AREVA Solar’s Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) solar steam generators to produce up to 5 megawatts (MW) of power during peak demand periods without added emissions. Over the course of a year, the system will allow Sundt Unit 4 to produce enough additional power to serve more than 600 Tucson homes.
Producing that same amount of power at the dual- fueled unit would otherwise require burning 46 million cubic feet of natural gas, or 3,600 tons of coal. So by offsetting the use of those fuels, the Sundt Solar Boost project avoids the annual production of either 4,600 or 8,500 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), depending on whether the unit is running on natural gas or coal.
The Sundt Solar Boost Project is part of TEP’s plan to expand its solar generating capacity to more than 200 MW by the end of 2014. Its output will help TEP meet or exceed Arizona’s Renewable Energy Standard, which requires electric utilities to increase their use of renewable energy each year until it accounts for 15 percent of their power in 2025.
