Local utility Tucson Electric Power will sell between 6-10MW of generation capacity to Ventana Medical Systems under its Bright Tucson Community Solar initiative, which was launched in 2011 for residential and commercial customers to purchase energy from a local solar array in 150kWh blocks.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

View all benefits & pricing

Or continue reading this article for free

The programme has been thriving, with 1,226 residential and 116 non-residential customers enrolled as of January 2017, purchasing a combined 20,771 solar blocks representing a total of 3,115,650kWh per month of energy.

The US community solar market is emerging as a promising source of demand, and has quadrupled between 2015 and 2016 and is set to double in 2017, reaching 400MW, according to the latest figures by GTM Research.

In other news, TEP recently announced plans to expand its wind and solar portfolio to enable it to provide at least 30% of its power from clean energy by 2030, adding around 800MW of new renewable capacity by that year also.

UPCOMING EVENT

PV ModuleTech USA 2025

17 June 2025

Napa, USA

PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 17-18 June 2025, will be our fourth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2026 and beyond.

UPCOMING EVENT

PV CellTech USA 2025

7 October 2025

San Francisco Bay Area, USA

PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.

UPCOMING EVENT

Solar & Storage Finance USA 2025

21 October 2025

New York, USA

Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.

UPCOMING EVENT

PV CellTech Europe 2026

10 March 2026

Frankfurt, Germany

The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

arizona, community solar, solar pv, tucson electric, us, usa, utility

University of Queensland claims world-record efficiency for THP solar cell

April 22, 2025

Australia’s University of Queensland has claimed a new world-record efficiency for a tin halide perovskite solar cell, certified at 16.65%.

250MW solar-plus-storage site in Tasmania added to Australia’s EPBC Act

April 21, 2025

A landowner-led 250MW solar-plus-storage site in Tasmania has been added to Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.