Carmine Tilghman, Senior Director of Energy Supply at Tucson Electric Power, has received the 2015 Solar Power Player Solar Champion award from the Solar Electric Power Association, or SEPA.
SEPA’s national Solar Power Players Awards recognize electric utilities, their industry partners and, each year, one individual for creating programs embodying the innovation and collaboration that is driving utility solar growth and expanded access to solar for all.
Tilghman spearheaded a number of TEP’s groundbreaking solar programs such as the Residential Solar Program, which rolled out earlier this year. The program, one of the first of its kind in the nation, features an innovative pricing model that provides customers with fixed-rate electric service for up to 25 years.
He played a central role in the development of the Solar Zone, a 165-acre solar test site located at the UA’s Tech Park, where TEP is collecting data on various solar technologies.
Tilghman also led TEP’s efforts to share its experiences and expertise in developing solar programs with other utilities across the country and is committed to mentoring young professionals in the industry.
“Carmine Tilghman combines a visionary sense of where the utility and solar industries need to go with a deep and pragmatic knowledge of the legacy energy system,” said Julia Hamm, SEPA President & CEO. “He understands the utility industry is changing. He believes it can find solutions to the challenges ahead and brings enormous energy to finding new options and moving them forward.”
The winners were selected by a nine-member panel of judges with diverse and distinguished experience in the utility and solar industries.
“Receiving SEPA’s Solar Champion award and being recognized nationally is both exciting and humbling,” Tilghman said. “This award is a reflection of the deeply committed people here at TEP. The staff members in Renewables, Engineering, Communications, Accounting, Legal and a dozen other departments have all been instrumental in the implementation of our programs. They all deserve credit and recognition for TEP’s success, and this award highlights that success.”
Tilghman and the other 2015 winners were honored in September at an awards luncheon at the Solar Power International conference in Anaheim, Calif.
