Phoenix-based utility Arizona Public Service is seeking proposals from solar developers and installers to construct a 14-mw solar photovoltaic facility in Arizona.  The RFP will open for bid submission March 15, 2012 and will close April 30, 2012. 

The project will be located on a 240-acre site near Hyder, adjacent to the utility’s existing 16-mw Hyder Solar Plant. APS is requiring proposals to utilize “commercially proven” technology such as crystalline or thin-film solar photovoltaic technology, featuring either fixed-axis or tracking systems. The RFP explicitly states that “APS is NOT seeking proposals utilizing technologies such as solar thermal or concentrated solar.” The estimated completion date for the APS-owned and operated plant is December 2013, with an expected output equivalent to the electricity used by over 3,500 homes.

The project will be financed by APS through the company's AZ Sun Program, which charges Arizona’s largest utility—serving 1.1-million customers—with developing 200 mw of solar photovoltaic power plants across Arizona through partnerships with third-party developers and equipment providers to design and construct the facilities. APS representatives say the five-year program will produce at least eight solar facilities by 2015 and create more than 2,400 Arizona construction jobs.

Those interested in submitting proposals for the Hyder plant are invited to attend a bidder’s webinar held by APS on March 21. Visit aps.com/rfp for more information about the webinar or to obtain a copy of the RFP.