Solar-Breeze - Robotic Solar Pool Skimmer

I had the chance, recently, to tour the largest photovoltaic rooftop installation in Arizona.  I jumped at the chance and climbed the ladder.  The installation is on the roof of the Cowley Co. Warehouse at 27^th Ave & Buckeye, not far from the State Capital building.

Our guides were Tom Lepley of Phasor Energy Company Inc. and Karl Schmitt, General Manager of Empire Renewable Energy, LLC.   Empire put the project together.  Tom was the lead engineer.

The scale of this project takes your breath away. 7,872 crystalline silicon modules (solar panels) cover 28,000 square feet of rooftop.  The array is held on the roof by its own weight and some ballast around the periphery.  There is no racking attaching it to the roof itself.  The wiring and conduit appear like leashes to hold it down but their only function is to take that harvest of solar energy  down to the invertor room where it can be changed into useable AC power.