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Success Stories

PACE: Powering Rural Communities One House at a Time

Amee Andreason
Clean Energy
Ribbon cutting PACE event in Arizona

The Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) Program is making significant progress by partnering with rural Americans on clean energy projects across the nation. Not only will these projects expand clean energy availability for farmers, ranchers, agricultural producers, and consumers, they will lower energy bills, create jobs, and foster economic growth in small communities.

Such is the case in Sahuarita, Arizona, a town where two different desert biomes meet, resulting in a diverse rural community scattered with Saguaro Cactus and surrounded by mountains. Here, Arizona Electric Power Cooperatives and Sierra Southwest Cooperative Services come together to form Arizona G&T Cooperatives. Through their combined effort, Arizona G&T Cooperatives has secured a PACE award financing a project to build three battery energy storage systems totaling 35 megawatts of power across rural Arizona.

On a hot summer morning in July, with a battery energy storage backdrop, Rural Utilities Service Administrator Berke joined the Arizona G&T Cooperatives, Trico Electric Cooperative, labor representatives, and the local community for a ribbon cutting event to introduce the new projects and explain their impact in rural communities across Arizona. 

Arizona G&T Cooperatives CEO Patrick Ledger providing opening remarks at the ribbon cutting event
Arizona G&T Cooperatives CEO Patrick Ledger providing opening remarks at the ribbon cutting event to introduce the new PACE award funding energy storage projects. Photo from Sherri Graves Photography

To give some background on this project, a couple of years ago we were facing some really high market prices, and we were concerned about the impact on our membership,” said Arizona G&T Cooperatives CEO Patrick Ledger. “We were trying to find a way that we could leverage existing resources and optimize what we already have, to find solutions in the short-term and long-term.”

Successively leveraging existing resources is exactly what they did. They put together three battery systems to utilize existing solar facilities owned and operated by their members or Arizona Electric Power Cooperative and added a battery energy storage system to each facility. This will allow them to push solar hours into the evening, lowering costs and improving reliability for member-consumers. However, bringing down the cost for their membership was just one objective. Another is to help them move toward a cleaner energy future.

“From our perspective, this is really the first step in a longer-term plan to implement smart, affordable, and reliable clean energy initiatives for our rural cooperatives and the public power folks in Arizona,” said Ledger. 

Construction on one of Trico Electric Cooperatives
Construction on one of Trico Electric Cooperatives battery energy storage system. Photo from Arizona G&T Cooperatives. 

One of the battery energy storage systems was built for the benefit of Trico Electric Cooperative, which has already deployed two other battery energy storage systems on their distribution system. Trico has a goal of reducing carbon emissions by 50% by 2032, and with the assistance of Arizona Electric Power Cooperative and USDA through the PACE program, they’re on their way 

A remarkable long-term aspect about PACE awards is the Community Benefit Plan (CBP), which is an element that will last beyond construction with the aim of benefitting communities and residents in the service area. Part of the CBP for this project is to create an innovative apprenticeship program that will be established in collaboration with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 570 and Cochise College, a local community college. Arizona Electric Power Cooperative will work with IBEW Local 570 and Cochise College to design and establish training paths that will result in an appropriate curriculum for the Solar and Energy Storage Solutions Apprenticeship Programs. 

“These training paths will result in an apprenticeship having appropriate skill sets to participate in this work throughout the union,” said IBEW Local 570 Business Manager Josh DeSpain. “This will bring new IBEW jobs to our always-evolving industry and we're excited to put this together and also work together on the community outreach, construction work, and new jobs for the apprenticeship.”

From the early stages of planning to this ribbon cutting event, everyone involved embraced the opportunity to help modernize the rural electric generation fleet and support clean energy initiatives. The PACE program, established under the Inflation Reduction Act, help make those investments possible, and will have a lasting impact on these rural communities.

“From infrastructure improvements that connect our communities to broadband expansion that bridges the digital divide, each investment we make paves the way for a brighter tomorrow,” said Arizona State Senator Gabaldon.

“By leveraging public-private partnerships, supporting local businesses, and empowering our agriculture sector, we can establish sustainable growth and create a thriving rural economy that benefits all.” 

President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda
President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda has spurred a new industrial revolution in clean energy, this PACE project is an example of an investment driving clean energy deployment for rural Americans. Photo from Sherri Graves Photography.
Obligation Amount:
$55,237,263
Year(s) of Obligation:
Congressional District:
  • Arizona: District 2
  • Arizona: District 6
  • Arizona: District 7
  • Arizona: District 9