Prudential Financial, Inc. has installed a solar photovoltaic (PV) system atop its Scottsdale, Arizona building — along with charging stations for electric vehicles in its nearby parking lot.

The new solar energy installation is the largest commercial system in the entire state, and represents a significant milestone given that Arizona is ranked in the top five in terms of states with the most installed solar capacity. Prudential’s rooftop system consists of over 4,500 solar panels, coming in at 885-kilowatts (kW) in size. According to GetSolar’s solar cost calculator, a system of that size could produce roughly 1.34 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) it its first year of operation — an amount of electricity roughly equal to the annual demand of 120 typical American homes! Relative to Prudential, the system’s output will account for 30 percent the Scottsdale property’s needs.

At a ceremony held yesterday, Prudential Vice President and and Head of Corporate Facilities Michael Perrette spoke about the importance of solar energy:

“Solar panels are important elements of the comprehensive approach Prudential has taken to reduce our carbon emissions by more than one third over the last ten years.”

In addition to the installation solar panels and an EV charging station at its Scottsdale branch, Prudential has implemented recycling and Green IT printing programs and investments in wind power.