1. 24 September 2015 | Multi-Housing News
newer dwellings built to rigorous energy efficiency standards set
forth by Tucson Electric Power (TEP), the local utility provider.
“TEP provides incentives through its customer-funded SunShare
program, and we’re able to pass those savings directly to our resi-
dents,” Schmitz said. “The money we save by using solar technol-
ogy goes straight back into maintenance, upkeep of communities
and resident programs for our military families at Soaring Heights,
and Tucson as a whole benefits from the project’s success. It’s a
cycle we’re proud of. Our community will benefit for years to come.”
Money that would have been spent on traditionally produced
electricity is used for capital repair and replacement, development,
reinvestment projects, and resident programs within the communi-
ty. Short-term funds go toward appliance replacements, carpet and
flooring, exterior painting, landscaping, and road paving to maintain
the aesthetics of the community and quality of the homes. Long-
term savings will be used to accelerate reinvestment in the renova-
tion and new construction throughout the 50-year ground lease.
While Soaring Heights has seen legitimate energy savings since
installing the solar array and rooftop system, the Lend Lease in-
vestment in renewable energy transcends a dollar amount. By part-
nering with the U.S. Air Force, Soaring Heights has an opportunity
to be at the forefront of energy independence and provide an im-
proved quality of life for service members who reside within.
“Best practices can easily be replicated in the civilian market,”
Schmitz said. “We identified an opportunity to invest in clean ener-
gy, and we went for it. Our residents benefit, the Tucson community
benefits, and we benefit as a company. Investing in solar energy
changed the way that we do business for the better.”
Although the sustainable energy industry experienced ups and
downs over the past decade, the solar energy project at Soaring
Heights Communities on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base has prov-
en that solar technology’s potential is alive and well in the multifam-
ily housing industry. MHN
Lacey Purcell Jamison is marketing coordinator, public partnerships
at Lend Lease
I
n 2009, Lend Lease (US) Public Partner-
ships (Lend Lease) completed work on one
of the first solar-powered communities on
an Air Force base in the United States. Now,
the combined solar ground arrays and roof-
top system at Soaring Heights Communities
on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (Soaring
Heights) offsets approximately 48 percent of annual overall con-
sumption within the community.
“We take sustainability and the long-term impact of our presence
in a community very seriously,” said Jerry Schmitz, senior vice
president for Soaring Heights.
According to the numbers, Schmitz is right. Soaring Heights
Communities, a 50-year partnership between the Department of
the Air Force and Lend Lease (US) Public Partnerships, is one of
the largest solar-powered communities in the continental United
States. While it is quite impressive in its own right, it is only a small
piece of the larger Lend Lease privatized housing solar portfolio.
Overall, Lend Lease maintains approximately 28.5 megawatts of
renewable power in communities across the United States, and has
an additional 14 megawatts in development.
The 3.3 megawatt ground array at Soaring Heights covers 20
acres of land and consists of 45,000 solar panels. The array took
three months to construct and produces approximately 5 mil-
lion kilowatts of power annually. The second piece to the Soaring
Heights solar puzzle, the rooftop system, consists of approximately
37,280 panels installed on 645 homes. The rooftop system size is
2.8 megawatts and works in tandem with the ground array to pro-
duce energy that is fed directly to the Soaring Heights power grid.
“The installation is expected to offset more than 570 million
pounds of carbon over its lifetime,” Schmitz said. “Arizona is one
of the best locations for solar energy in the world, and we’re per-
petuating long-term health of our community by heavily utilizing it.”
Soaring Heights leadership worked closely with solar innovator
SolarCity to install the ground array and rooftop system. Homes
were selected based on suitability for panels. Most selections were
How Soaring Heights Communities
powers its military family housing
By Lacey Purcell Jamison, Lend Lease
Savoring the Sun
case study