McCarthy finishes construction on 200-MW Arizona solar project set to power Microsoft data center

The project is located on over 1,000 acres, approximately 40 miles west of Phoenix. McCarthy’s Renewable Energy and Storage Group acted as EPC contractor for the project, which is now owned by: Long road energy. Longroad Energy took over the project from First Solar in early 2021.

Sun Streams 2 has more than 450,000 First Solar Series 6 modules and also includes a substation extension. McCarthy’s self-perform field forces installed all modules, 5805 Nexttracker trackers, 53 SMA MWPS-4000 inverter skids, all DC wiring and combiner boxes, and all underground 34.5 kV AC collection wiring. The project employed more than 250 local workers to build it, with recruitment primarily in Buckeye and Goodyear, Arizona.

“Building solar power plants in sunny Arizona has always made sense, and the fact that we were able to recruit and train more than 250 local community workers for careers in this burgeoning industry makes this project even more effective,” said Scott Canada, senior vice president of the Renewable Energy and Storage group at McCarthy. “Longroad was a great partner for the eventual construction and commissioning of this solar project, in part because we share a commitment to bringing solar energy and its economic benefits to communities across the country. We look forward to future partnerships with them as they expand their footprint in Arizona and elsewhere.”

Sun Streams 2 is intended to power new Microsoft data centers in Goodyear and El Mirage, Arizona.

Sun Streams 3, 4 and 5 are development projects with target operational dates between 2023 and 2025. These projects are ideally positioned to accommodate a variety of offtake structures, with or without storage. The projects are expected to bring in more than $40 million for Arizona’s schools through a long-term lease with the Arizona State Land Department, and more than $5 million in tax revenue.

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