Amonix Inc. (Torrance, CA) announced that Arizona Public Service Co. (APS, Phoenix, AZ) is planning to use Amonix’s technology to install what it believes is the world’s largest high-concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) solar project. Amonix claims that its solar array has an overall dc system efficiency at converting sunlight to electricity exceeding 17 percent. The distributed, multi-site system will be rated at over 500kW and will produce enough energy to power over 165 homes.
The first 100kW of the project came online on April 5, 2001, with an additional 400kW planned for installment later this year. The announced project will generate over 1,000MWh per year when fully functional. This power will be fed into APS’s electrical grid and will displace an equivalent amount of electricity that would have ordinarily been generated by more traditional methods. According to EPA estimates, over 2,384 pounds of nitrogen oxides, 3,713 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 1,249,249 pounds of carbon dioxide will be avoided annually as a result of the installation.
“For several years we have been working with Amonix to develop this technology and are pleased to be constructing and operating these first commercial solar-power-generation facilities,” said Herb Hayden, solar program coordinator for APS. “We are confident that HCPV is ready for large-scale commercial use and this installation will demonstrate it.”
