Overview
Arizona Western College PV is a 4.7 MW solar photovoltaic installation in Yuma, Arizona, United States. It is owned by Main Street Power and provides renewable energy to the college campus.
Arizona Western College PV is a solar photovoltaic facility located in Yuma, Arizona, United States. With a capacity of 4.7 MW, it is a medium-scale solar installation that contributes to the college's energy needs and supports renewable energy adoption in the region. The facility operates under the regulatory framework of the United States, including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Arizona's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), which encourages solar energy development. Solar PV technology converts sunlight directly into electricity, and this plant is grid-connected, feeding power into the local distribution network. This installation reduces the college's reliance on fossil fuels and lowers its carbon footprint. It also serves as an educational resource for students studying renewable energy technologies. The plant's location in the sunny Southwest ensures high solar irradiance, maximizing energy generation.
Environmental context
The Yuma region in Arizona receives abundant sunlight, making it ideal for solar energy generation. Solar PV installations like this one have minimal visual impact compared to other renewable technologies and produce no emissions during operation. However, large-scale solar farms can affect land use and local ecosystems; this medium-scale installation on a college campus likely has a lower environmental footprint.
Frequently asked questions
Arizona Western College PV is located in Yuma, Arizona, United States, on the campus of Arizona Western College.
The facility has a capacity of 4.7 megawatts (MW), making it a medium-scale solar photovoltaic installation.
The plant is owned by Main Street Power, a company that develops and operates renewable energy projects.
Solar energy in Arizona benefits from the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), which requires utilities to generate a portion of electricity from renewable sources.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels convert sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductor materials. The generated electricity can be used on-site or fed into the grid.