Apache Solar I

Apache Solar I, located at  Apache Generating Station, provides 20 megawatts of renewable power to:

In addition to the Apache Solar Project, we’re exploring transmitting wind energy from eastern New Mexico to Apache Station, and we’re analyzing battery technology to make solar and wind generation more cost-effective and reliable.

Apache Solar Fast Facts:

20

Megawatt (MW) AC power generated

3000

panels

320

watts produced by each panel

134

acres of AEPCO property house the solar array

9

2.5-MW inverters convert the DC power to AC

SunAnza

We partnered with our Class A member Anza Electric Cooperative (AEC) to complete SunAnza:

SunAnza Facility Construction

Anza, California, is a small, remote community in the high-desert mountains above Palm Springs. Its growth is limited by the single Southern California Edison transmission line that has inadequate capacity to provide for load growth in the area. Unfortunately, the transmission line is among the least reliable in California — but created excellent conditions for testing a microgrid to supplement AEC’s power.

2017

  • Sierra Southwest Cooperative Services, AEPCO’s sister organization, completed and placed in service the 2-MW SunAnza project on behalf of Anza Electric Cooperative.
  • AEPCO worked with AEC, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and the U.S. Department of Energy to study the benefits and costs of various designs.

2019

In late 2019, the team settled on a design to add:

  • 1.35 MW of solar power
  • 4 MWh of Tier 1 battery storage
  • Microgrid control technology

2020

Construction was completed in December 2020

Battery Storage Expansion and Microgrid Control

The new battery storage system with microgrid control:

Cooperative Lender Financing

AEPCO’s financial team worked with cooperative lender CoBank to finance this project through a lease-back arrangement between its sister organization, Sierra Southwest Cooperative Services, and CoBank’s Farm Credit Leasing subsidiary. This lease structure provides a repeatable formula that:

Optimizing Hydropower Allocations

  • AEPCO optimizes our members’ hydropower allocations from the Hoover Dam. We bring in this low-cost power from the federal Western Area Power Administration on an aggregate basis, dispatching it to members on an on-demand basis and billing them according to use.
  • We work with our scheduling and trading partner, ACES, to dispatch Hoover power hourly.
  • We also coordinate Hoover power with power from our Apache Solar I. We have the flexibility to quickly cover loads when solar unit output changes rapidly due to cloud cover or other conditions.

Balancing Renewable Sources Leads to Efficiencies

00:00

(Midnight)

Natural gas and coal generation at Apache Station are dispatched around the clock.

06:00

(6 a.m.)

The Apache Solar Project at Apache Station can generate up to 20 MW of electricity, but only when the sun shines.

18:00

(6 p.m.)

Low-cost hydropower from Hoover Dam is generally available 24/7, but the allocation is limited.

We work with ACES to use the resource when it has the most value—often when it complements solar generation or as a peaking resource to reduce costly power purchases.