SRP, Phoenix Zoo and the City of Phoenix to Unveil New Solar-covered EV Charging Station
Zoo parking lot charging station can charge up to 20 electric vehicles at once
WHAT:
Just in time for spring break: On March 8th, SRP, in collaboration with the City of Phoenix, Mayor Kate Gallego and the Phoenix Zoo, are unveiling the new Phoenix Zoo solar-covered electric vehicle (EV) charging station. This station will provide Zoo patrons with 20 pay-to-charge parking spaces near the zoo entrance so visitors can spend the day knowing they’ll return to a charged vehicle.
Media are invited to a ribbon cutting ceremony to learn more about this research project that helps improve local EV infrastructure and meet the changing needs of the Valley.
Speaking at the event will be:
- Mayor Kate Gallego
- John Hoopes, Vice President of SRP
- Bert Castro, President/CEO of Arizona Center for Nature Conservation/Phoenix Zoo
Interviews available with:
- Dan Dreiling, Director of Customer Programs at SRP
- Bert Castro, President/CEO of the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation/Phoenix Zoo
Visuals:
- EVs getting plugged into the new charging station
- Officials cutting a ribbon in front of the new solar-covered structure
WHEN:
Tuesday, March 8
1:00-2:00 PM
WHERE:
Phoenix Zoo - Main zoo parking lot, just to the right of the main entrance
455 N Galvin Pkwy, Phoenix, AZ 85008
DETAILS:
The charging habits of local EV owners are vital for SRP to understand as the utility continues to invest in additional infrastructure for EVs and work toward SRP’s 2035 Sustainability Goal to support the enablement of 500,000 EVs in SRP’s service territory and manage 90% of the charging by 2035.
The Phoenix Zoo charging station will test various pricing structures, with free charging as an introductory offer, to various hourly pricing models and options over time. The revenue from this pay-to-charge model will help offset the cost of the research and help maintain the charging equipment. The solar panels on top of the structure will feed renewable energy back to the SRP power system for the benefit of all SRP customers.
The project comes shortly following a series of renewable generation projects SRP announced this January, including a 100-megawatt (MW) solar-powered battery storage system to be added to its existing Saint Solar facility and a large-scale wind farm on the Babbitt's Ranches property in Northern Arizona. SRP also announced a brand-new Navajo Nation-based solar plant, Cameron Solar, to be developed in 2023, and an extended contract for Kayenta Solar which serves the Navajo Nation. These are in addition to existing renewable resources already operating on SRP’s power grid and contribute to the utility’s commitment to add 2,025 MW of new utility-scale solar energy by 2025 and 450 MW of battery storage by 2023.
SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest provider of electricity in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving more than 1 million customers. SRP is also the metropolitan area’s largest supplier of water, delivering about 750,000 acre-feet annually to municipal, urban and agricultural water users.