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APS Energy Services is the full-service energy services provider and competitive electricity subsidiary of Pinnacle West. APS Energy Services was the first Energy Service Provider (ESP) to deliver competitively priced electricity to California customers in 1997. In 1999, APS Energy Services was the first ESP to service direct access customers in the service territory of all three major Arizona utility companies.
 Energy conservation is a core focus of APS Energy Services and the company seeks to promote and implement the efficient use of energy and develop comprehensive energy solutions, seeking renewable energy alternatives where applicable and conducting work in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner. Energy projects are designed to upgrade equipment and provide sustainability to campus settings.
Energy efficiency, renewables, demand response and traditional supply side solutions all will be needed for a sustainable energy future for all and APS Energy Services will help lead the way there.
APS Energy Services is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona with offices in Tucson, Arizona; California; Nevada; and Texas. The company currently extends services throughout Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. For more information about APS Energy Services, please visit their webpage at APSES.com
APS Energy Services, known to many as the company that constructed a combined heat and power plant at Arizona State University and — through its wholly owned subsidiary, Northwind Phoenix — operates a district cooling network that keeps much of downtown Phoenix comfortable, also integrates renewable energy alternatives as part of its energy solutions offerings. “As our name says, we’re an energy services company,” said Vicki Sandler, President, APS Energy Services. “Since we were founded in 1998, our mission is to be a world-class developer and the preferred provider of superior energy solutions. We achieve this by helping our customers meet their strategic objectives through a comprehensive energy solution. As energy prices continue to rise, energy efficiency retrofit projects and the deployment of renewable technologies continue to become more viable options than ever for our customers.” Sandler added that, while there are many costs of doing business that institutional, commercial and industrial customers have little control over, energy costs can be reduced, and those savings dropped to the bottom line. To help those customers achieve these savings, APS Energy Services has completed energy efficiency and renewable projects in Arizona, California and Nevada. Among its work with renewables:
Biomass
As part of a comprehensive energy program, implemented at the White Pine County School District in Ely, Nev., and the Northern Nevada Corrections Center (NNCC) in Carson City, Nev., biomass systems burning forest waste have been included in the programs to provide low-cost heating and steam output (NNCC only) while helping the environment. The U.S. Forest Service has a long term contract to provide fallen timber as fuel. APS Energy Services expects the construction of these systems to enhance air and water quality in the surrounding areas by providing an environmentally friendly method to dispose woody biomass from forest thinning. Additional benefits include reduced emissions from controlled burning and resulting air pollution, and from the reduced volume of landfill biomass waste.
In addition to the biomass, the NNCC project also includes a photovoltaic solar application of up to 30 kilowatts (kW).
Solar
APS Energy Services worked with the Yavapai-Apache Nation to install a solar array producing 30 kW on its parking structures. By designing a split system with separate photovoltaic and uninterrupted power supply subsystems, the nation’s medical facility is able to receive 30 minutes of standby power. In addition to the solar installation, APS Energy Services also negotiated the procurement of green credits for the sale of green energy into the system, resulting in a substantial rebate to the Yavapai-Apache Nation.
The Hualapai Tribe, located predominantly along the western edge of the Grand Canyon, partnered with APS Energy Services to design and construct a solar hybrid project to provide power to the remote region (75 kW to 100 kW). Because the Hualapai Tribe is located off the grid, the energy generated from this project is the only source of electricity this community has. As a matter of fact, APS Energy Services enlisted the consulting services of APS to complete this project.
APS ES is also working with ASU and the cities of Flagstaff and Rohnert Park, Calif., on included solar as part of their comprehensive energy programs. A solar array producing 30 kW was mounted on ASU’s parking structures. The Flagstaff installation is a 15–kW system mounted on a wall and covered entryway. Rohnert Park will install a 30-kW system on its sports center roof, scheduled to be coordinated with a roofing replacement.
Digester
APS Energy Services currently is engineering a unique fixed film digester plant for Classic Farms in Aurora, S.D. The farm received a grant from the USDA to construct a plant that will convert animal waste from a hog farm into biogas to run an electric generator that will serve farm operations, inclusive of water treatment. A rendering component also is part of the grant. APS Energy Services plans to bring the learnings from this project to Arizona to build the most cost-effective dairy farm biogas projects. Arizona has a hot climate and lots of cows, which make this optimal for such a solution.
In addition to these projects, APS Energy Services recently partnered with Sacred Power Corp., an American Indian-owned company based in Albuquerque, to install hybrid solar stations in 100 homes on the Navajo Nation in Arizona this past summer. This was made possible by a $1.9 million grant the Cameron Navajo Chapter received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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