Solon Corp. is about to begin having its solar panels put on about 375 Arizona homes under an agreement the Tucson company has made with American Solar Electric in Scottsdale.

The deal for about 1.5 megawatts of solar panels creates the state’s first local solar supply chain, giving Arizonans their first opportunity to have locally manufactured solar panels installed on their homes, according to Sean Seitz, president of ASE.

The solar systems will average $34,000 each and supply about 4 kilowatts of power. While details of the agreement were not disclosed, based on the average figures, the systems could bring ASE $12.8 million in sales this year.

ASE said it has already received an initial shipment of the solar panels and is ready to begin installation.

The initial agreement between Solon and ASE is for one year but it can be extended. There is also an option to increase the capacity beyond 1.5 megawatts.

Solon last year expanded into a 110,000 square-foot facility at 6950 S. Country Club Road capable of manufacturing panels for up to 100 megawatts per year, which the company said was about two-thirds of the 2007 residential market. The company is a subsidiary of Solon AG in Germany.

The initial financial bailout bill passed by Congress in October, included an extension of the solar tax credit for this year, which has continued to help boost sales of solar energy systems.

United States firms manufacture less than 8 percent of the global market demand for solar panels.