Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center Solar Project

completed

Salt River Project (SRP) has commissioned its first utility-owned solar plant, a 55 MW facility located at the Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center in Pinal County, Arizona. The project spans approximately 270 acres and serves as a testing ground for photovoltaic hardware durability and long-duration storage technologies in extreme desert environments. It features a diverse mix of solar panels, inverter technologies, and solar tracking systems to monitor performance under harsh conditions. The site is integrated with a 99 MW flexible natural gas facility and uses high-resolution sky cameras for real-time cloud movement forecasting. Future plans include pilot projects for iron-flow and organic flow battery systems to support 10-hour discharge durations, contributing to SRP's goal of reducing carbon intensity by 82% by 2035 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.