Salt River Project's Stimulus Projects

Salt River Project (SRP), the nation’s third-largest public power utility, has developed and implemented a program to design, procure and install solar PV systems using mainly its own internal employees. This project is the result of stimulus funds provided by the State of Arizona along with matching funding provided by SRP.

In Arizona, the State Energy Office used funding received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to initiate the Distributed Energy Leadership Program (DELP). The program’s goal is to increase or match incentives provided by the state’s public utilities to employ distributed energy projects including solar water heating, solar PV, wind, and combined heat and power projects.

SRP applied for and received funding from the Arizona Energy Office under the DELP to initiate programs to install solar electric systems on schools and income-qualified residences. Schools were selected based on a thorough evaluation of applications that were on file from a previous program. For the income-qualified residences, SRP partnered with non-profit organizations to install solar electric systems on group homes that serve disabled and disadvantaged communities. These systems are especially welcome during this time of state budget reductions for schools and non-profit entities.

There were challenges associated with complying with the myriad of procurement, reporting and auditing requirements when utilizing federal funding. To address some of those challenges, existing SRP employees were used to complete all of the solar installations. In addition, all material procurement and project management activities were completed by SRP staff.

Ultimately, these projects provided three major benefits to SRP and the community. 

1. SRP retained jobs for experienced utility workers during the economic downturn.
2. SRP employees were provided with a unique learning opportunity related to solar electric installations.
3. Schools and non-profit organizations realized a reduction in electricity costs.