SRP Brings Copper Crossing Solar Project Online to Support Grid and Research Efforts
Salt River Project (SRP) has brought its first owned and operated solar facility, the 55-megawatt (MW) Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center (CCERC) PV Solar Project, into service.
The project is expected to generate enough solar energy to power approximately 11,000 Arizona homes annually. In addition to energy production, the CCERC PV Solar Project will support research into advanced solar technologies. The facility uses three different types of photovoltaic solar panels, which SRP will analyze and compare to evaluate durability, performance under varying weather conditions and overall output consistency.
The site will also test three types of solar trackers and three different inverters—devices that convert direct current electricity generated by solar panels into alternating current electricity used by customers—to assess which combinations and individual technologies are most effective for long-term planning.
“The SRP-owned solar project at Copper Crossing will be part of delivering reliable, affordable power to customers in time for what we expect will be record demand this summer,” said Bobby Olsen, SRP Associate General Manager and Chief Power System Executive. “This facility gives us the opportunity to support customer needs for reliable, affordable energy while continuing to refine these benefits at a scale that will translate to future deployments in the field and in the operating centers.”
Located in Florence, Arizona, the CCERC also includes sky cameras that capture real-time images to test a method for estimating cloud impacts, with the goal of improving solar production forecasting.
SRP is working to at least double its generation capacity over the next 10 years to meet projected energy demand while maintaining reliability and affordability and advancing sustainability goals, including achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company plans to pursue an “all of the above” approach that includes adding natural gas, renewable and storage resources, including pumped hydro.