The 15 MW Raptor Ridge solar array features 35,500 bifacial modules housed on Solar FlexRack single-axis trackers.
The newest community solar program in Tucson Electric Power’s (TEP) generation portfolio was constructed using Solar FlexRack’s single-axis trackers, according to news from Solar FlexRack.
The 15 MW Raptor Ridge solar array was commissioned this month at a 100-acre site in Tucson, Arizona and will supply power for the TEP GoSolar Home program, which provides a renewable energy option for renters and homeowners, including those whose rooftops are shaded by trees or nearby buildings.
The Solar FlexRack trackers are supporting 35,500 bifacial modules, which were installed by Sturgeon Electric Company and MYR Energy Services, Inc. Construction on the project began in Aug. 2021, and the project was completed just after its initial target date of May 2022.
“We selected Solar FlexRack from many solar racking options because of their engineering expertise and solar tracker architecture with minimal backside shading design, well suited for bifacial modules,” said Jeff Krauss, TEP’s manager of Community Scale Renewable Resources. “In a challenging market environment where supply chain issues have delayed other large solar projects, Solar FlexRack demonstrated their commitment to customer service by honoring agreements and delivering product on time. We are excited to bring this community-scale solar project online and Solar FlexRack is a big part of TEP’s success at Raptor Ridge.”
TEP’s GoSolar Home community-based solar program allows customers to pay a fee to buy power from a dedicated solar facilities and receive a fixed bill for up to 10 years. In Aug. 2021, regulators approved extending the program to renters and and also expanding the facility supporting the program by 10 MW, a move that is expected to clear the 500+ customer waiting list that existed prior to the expansion. As of that point, the program was fully subscribed at 841 participants, according to local news reports.
Also in Aug. 2021, Solar FlexRack announced it supplied solar trackers and mounting technology to Swinerton Renewable Energy for 80 MW of distributed generation solar projects.
Located in Connecticut, California and Illinois, 30 MW of projects will use Solar FlexRack’s TDP 1.0 and TDP 2.0 Solar Trackers in 11 community solar projects. That adds to an earlier 50 MW of completed solar projects between the two companies.
