SolarZone at the UA TechPark
The UA TechPark is a 1,345 acre site with nearly 2 million square feet of office, engineering and laboratory space developed. One of the key initiatives underway at UA TechPark is the development of Solar Zone @ UA TechPark. The solar-centric business zone within the UA TechPark is advancing solar energy innovation and production. The first-of-its-kind solar-centric research park includes: power generation by multiple technologies, R&D, materials and supplies, manufacturing, green-job and workforce training, educational outreach, public demonstration and awareness hub.
All solar power generated in the Solar Zone will be used by Tucson Electric Power to expand its renewable energy resources in Southern Arizona. TEP also owns and operates the Solar Zone’s first installed system, a 1.6 MW single-axis tracking photovoltaic array. Amonix, CTC Electric, EMCORE Corporation, and Foresight - Solar Point, LLC, and Solon, a Tucson-based solar system manufacturer and integrator, will be generating 13 MW of power in the Solar Zone using a variety of technologies and tracking systems. Bell Independent Power Corp., which developed a Thermal Storage Technology for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), will have a state-of-the-art 5 MW solar plant with its proprietary Thermal Storage System in the Solar Zone @ the UA TechPark. 
The Solar Zone is in the largest multi-technology solar evaluation site in the United States, producing up to 18.5 MW. This enables various technologies to perform side by side, under identical operating conditions, so developers may determine when systems are most efficient and economical for the company and Southern Arizona.
The Solar Zone @ the UA TechPark is aligned to the University of Arizona’s solar efforts and programs in Optical Sciences, Materials Engineering, Atmospheric Sciences, Meteorology, Physical Sciences, Electrical Engineering and Chemistry. Solar energy research, a priority for the UA, pursues innovative solutions to real-world energy problems and new product development by advancing solar technologies in nano-composite thin-film photovoltaic, improving energy storage and distribution through techniques and systems innovation, creating demonstration sites combining applied energy systems and measurements with renewable energy electricity delivery and industrial collaboration.