The 2.9-megawatt project is being installed at a medical center owned by the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System. REC's array will cover seven individual parking garages, making it the largest parking structure-mounted solar power system in the U.S.
Gabrielle Giffords, southern Arizona's representative in Congress, lauded the installation, implying that it would help cut carbon emissions and help the VA system save money. "It is becoming more and more evident that solar addresses some of the largest challenges we currently face, and SAVAHCS is proactively addressing these issues," she said.
SAVAHCS' system will generate 5.2 million kilowatt-hours of energy annually - enough to offset the emissions produced by the consumption of 420,000 gallons of gasoline.
Arizona is nearly ideal for solar installations: It enjoys hundreds of sunny days each year and has relatively flat terrain - all the better for ground-mounted solar arrays. In fact, the sun is so strong in Arizona and eastern California that solar energy systems in those states could theoretically power the entire U.S. It's likely that more solar projects like SAVAHCS' will be built in the coming years.
