In new rankings released by the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), APS placed among the top 5 solar utilities in four categories. Most notably, APS received its highest ranking in program history – third in the nation for solar installed last year, thanks in large part to an innovative new solar facility that can produce power in the dark.

APS’s top 5 rankings include:

  • Third place for new solar installed in 2013 (410 megawatts)
    • This ranking is up one spot from last year’s fourth place ranking.
  • Fourth place for new solar installed in 2013 per customer (368 watts /customer in 2013)
  • Fourth place for overall solar capacity (740 megawatts)
  • Fifth place for overall solar capacity per customer (654 watts/customer)

In 2013, APS supported the development of 410 MW of new solar. This is nearly triple the 148 MW added to its renewable portfolio in 2012. The continued growth of solar power is consistent with a long-range forecast released earlier this month by APS, which estimates that the amount of renewable energy in the APS energy mix will double over the next 15 years.

The 410 MW added last year includes large scale solar power plants owned by APS, power purchased from independent solar power producers, and customer installations. Last year, APS customers installed 91 MW of solar power to their homes and businesses, helping APS achieve such a high national ranking.

But the biggest addition to APS’s solar portfolio came from the Solana Generating Station. At 250 MW, Solana produces enough solar electricity to power 70,000 Arizona homes. Solana is unique among solar installations because it has the capability to store energy and produce power even when the sun isn’t shining. It’s solar power in the dark.

“Solana is a game-changer for our solar portfolio,” said Tammy McLeod, APS Vice President of Resource Management. “Having the ability to store the power of the sun and use it when our customers need it most – in the evening after sunset – is incredibly valuable. It provides flexibility we don’t typically see with solar energy.”

Utilities ranking in this year’s SEPA top 10 accounted for 82 percent of all capacity integrated in 2013, up from 73 percent in 2012.

“We are thrilled to see milestones surpassed and barriers broken from coast to coast,” said Julia Hamm, president and CEO of SEPA. “It’s truly inspiring to see utility partners and their consumer communities rally around implementing solar programs that are changing the nature of our national energy portfolio.”

The top 10 solar utilities in the category of Annual Megawatts are:

1. Pacific Gas and Electric (CA)     6. National Grid (NY)
2. San Diego Gas and Electric Company (CA)     7. Public Service Electric and Gas Company (NJ)
3. Arizona Public Service (AZ)     8. Hawaiian Electric Company (HI)
4. Southern California Edison (CA)     9. Georgia Power (GA)
5. Duke Energy Progress (NC, SC, FL)     10. Duke Energy Carolinas (NC, SC)

The top 10 solar utilities in the category of Solar Watts-Per-Customer are:

1. Sterling Municipal Light Department (MA)     6. Pacific Gas and Electric Company (CA)
2. San Diego Gas and Electric Company (CA)     7. Hawaii Electric Light (HI)
3. Silicon Valley Power (CA)     8. Maui Electric Company (HI)
4. Arizona Public Service (AZ)     9. Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (HI)
5. Hawaiian Electric Company (HI)     10. Imperial Irrigation District (CA)

SEPA’s full report will be released in May 2014. Complete rankings can be found at sepatop10.org.

Note: Due to the timing of the report, additional capacity not captured in the SEPA survey was included in APS’s total installed solar in 2013. This additional capacity would have no impact on the ranking.

About SEPA

SEPA is an educational non-profit organization based in Washington dedicated to helping utilities integrate solar power into their energy portfolios. The SEPA Top 10 Utility Solar Rankings report is one of many market intelligence, utility interaction and educational services SEPA provides to its utility and solar industry members. For more information about SEPA, visit our website at www.solarelectricpower.org and www.sepatop10.org

About APS

APS, Arizona’s largest and longest-serving electricity utility, serves nearly 1.2 million customers in 11 of the state’s 15 counties. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW).