Arizona electric utility Tucson Electric Power is installing a 1.6-megawatt solar power system - and it's doing so at the University of Arizona's solar development center.

The UATechPark's SolarZone, as it's called, occupies 200 acres and serves as a test bed for new technologies and solar-energy research projects. UA's presence in Tucson helps make the city a solar hotbed; in fact, the 5,808 solar panels being installed at the site by TEP will be made in Tucson by a company called SOLON Corp.

The systems that SOLON is providing to the utility are preconfigured, meaning that they will be quick to install. Shorter installation times mean lower labor costs for project developers - and the sooner TEP's array gets up and running, the sooner it will be able to provide clean power to Tucson residents.

TEP announced two weeks ago that it plans to use the energy from this 1.6-megawatt array to supply participants in its Bright Tucson Community Solar Program. The program, which allows TEP ratepayers to buy solar power in 150-kilowatt blocks for just $3 per month, could make solar an even smarter choice for Tucson residents.