Avra Valley plant harvesting power of sun instead of cotton

Carolyn Campbell, the executive director of the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, inspects some of the 410,760 solar panels in a solar plant built by NRG Solar. The Avra Valley Solar Generating Station will produce 34 megawatts of direct current.

Avra Valley plant harvesting power of sun instead of cotton

Jennifer Christelman, the environmental engineer division manager, and Curtis Woody, the economic development director, both with the town of Marana, autograph a solar panel.

Avra Valley plant harvesting power of sun instead of cotton

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Avra Valley plant harvesting power of sun instead of cotton

An aerial view shows the 300-acre solar plant in Avra Valley. TEP will buy power from the solar farm, which can generate enough power to meet the annual energy needs of about 5,000 homes, under a 20-year agreement.

Avra Valley plant harvesting power of sun instead of cotton

Fields northwest of Tucson that once yielded cotton by the ton are now producing clean electrical power, at the biggest solar power plant to be connected to Tucson Electric Power Co.'s power grid to date.

Avra Valley solar farm nearly complete

On a sun-drenched expanse of former farmland in the Avra Valley area northwest of Tucson, a new project will soon begin harvesting a different kind of crop: energy from the sun.

Avra Valley solar farm nearly complete

The photovoltaic project at Emigh and Sanders roads is expected to provide enough power for about 3,500 average TEP homes.

Huge D-M solar project expected to begin soon

Archaeologists excavate a site at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, where a solar-power array also is planned. The dig yielded many Native American artifacts, and the solar project is currently on hold.

Huge D-M solar project expected to begin soon

A 14-megawatt solar system is already up and running at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The solar array at Davis-Monthan will exceed the generating capacity of the Nellis site.