U.S. REP. RON BARBER APPLAUDS FUNDING FOR LARGE SOLAR PROJECT AT TUCSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

TUCSON – U.S. Rep. Ron Barber welcomed today’s announcement of a $5.7 million federal grant that will help pay for a large solar project covering part of the parking area at Tucson International Airport.

“A huge solar project such as this at the main gateway for visitors when they arrive in our community will show them that Tucson is serious about being a leader in solar development,” Barber said today. “Congratulations to the forward-thinking leadership of the Tucson Airport Authority for conceiving and carrying out this visionary venture.”

The grant from the Federal Aviation Administration will help pay to install solar panels over about five acres of the parking lot directly in front of the airport terminal. The Tucson Airport Authority plans to eventually cover the entire parking area with solar panels that also will provide shade while producing energy to help power the airport.

“Working with Rep. Barber to make this project a reality has been a rewarding opportunity,” Bonnie Allin president and CEO of the Tucson Airport Authority said today. “It’s an exciting demonstration of our community’s shared commitment to enhancing and preserving natural resources.”

Barber is a member of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition in the House of Representatives.

The initial stage of the project will produce about 1 megawatt of electricity for the airport. The power produced every year by those panels will be enough to power 130 homes for a year. The airport also will build “green” walls with vertically growing plants to further cool the parking area.

In addition to the federal grant, the Arizona Department of Transportation will provide $280,000 to help offset the airport’s share of the cost. Construction of the 20-foot-tall canopies that will hold the solar panels is expected to start in the spring of 2013. Barker Morrissey Contracting of Tucson was selected to design and build the canopies.

Within two to three years, the airport authority expects to cover the entire 12-acre parking area in front of the airport with solar panels, producing 2.5 megawatts of power for the airport. That will cost about $18 million and offset about 20 percent of the airport’s total power use.

NEWS RELEASE
Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012


CONTACT
Mark Kimble
Communications Director
U.S. Rep. Ron Barber
Arizona’s 8th Congressional District
(520) 881-3588 or (520) 904-5876