When the bidding was all said and done, it was REC Solar that was left standing as the winner of the opportunity to design and install the largest carport-mounted photovoltaic (PV) solar electric system in the United States. The San Luis Obispo, California-based solar installer announced the news yesterday and is almost ready to begin the project. The system will stretch across seven separate carports at a Southern Arizona Veterans Affairs facility in Tucson, Arizona.

Before beginning this newest project, REC still has some loose ends to tie up. REC Solar will complete a single-axis tracker-system at the same facility by the end of this month, according to Solar Industry Magazine. A single-axis tracker, which gives the solar panels one axis of rotation to follow the sun throughout the day, can help boost electricity output.

This newest installation that REC will soon begin working on will be added to the nearly completed PV array, and together they are expected to pump out 5.2 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually. That is enough solar-generated electricity to power over 500 average homes in the United States for a full calendar year.

These Arizona solar electric installations are part of the plan outlined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in mid April of this year to add solar energy systems to its facilities in Texas, California, Nevada and Arizona. And in early January, the Department of Veterans Affairs contracted the Hudson Valley solar installation firm SunWize Technologies to upgrade current solar energy systems at a number of hospitals across the country.