logo

Arizona Becoming a Leader in Renewable Energy

image
Author: Bob Morris
Created: 05 March, 2012
Updated: 13 October, 2022
2 min read

California gets most of the glory for renewable energy and perhaps rightfully so. As of 2010 it had 27% of installed solar power in the country with 12% of the population. Yet Arizona had 6% of the installed solar with just 2% of the population. (Nevada and Colorado did even better. Both had a 6% share with 0.86% and 1.61% of the population, respectively.)

Arizona clearly has huge solar and wind power potential. The sun shines 300 days a year, and there’s plenty of wind too. As is true elsewhere, much of energy in Arizona is from coal. It is also an exporter of energy, as coal plants on Native American land help power Los Angeles and other areas. But new mandates for coal plants mean that large sums of money will need to be spent to upgrade them to cleaner standards. At some point it becomes more cost-effective to invest in clean energy rather than try to retrofit aging dirty energy plants.

The Curbing Carbon Forum, sponsored by The Southwest Renewable Energy Institute, was held in Phoenix in January and discussed many of these issues.  Most importantly, they emphasized, the transition to clean energy is happening, inexorable, and supported by a majority of Arizonans.  Chief among the changes needed is a smarter grid, decentralized and varied sources of power, and increased efficiency of power usage. Indeed, too much energy is wasted, either by transmitting it hundreds of miles from Apache land in Arizona to Los Angeles or from “vampire” home appliances and electronics that suck power even when turned off.  Smarter electronics and ways of generating power could probably cut consumption substantially with little or any effect on most people.

The Bureau of Land Management has identified 237,000 acres of Arizona land as suitable for renewable energy and is setting aside some of the land so permitting can be further explored.  Much of the land is already disturbed and was previously used for mines, landfills, and agriculture. This could lessen environmental concerns since the land is no longer pristine.

GE has bought a stake in the 137 MW Arlington Valley Solar Energy II plant in Arizona. Among other things, they were attracted by the power plants not needing natural gas or coal as fuel.

Renewable energy is coming to Arizona in a big way. It’s heartening to see this isn’t a partisan political issue and that people and politicians from all sides support it.

Latest articles

votes
Wyoming Purges Nearly 30% of Its Voters from Registration Rolls
It is not uncommon for a state to clean out its voter rolls every couple of years -- especially to r...
27 March, 2024
-
1 min read
ballot box
The Next Big Win in Better Election Reform Could Come Where Voters Least Expect
Idaho isn't a state that gets much attention when people talk about politics in the US. However, this could change in 2024 if Idahoans for Open Primaries and their allies are successful with their proposed initiative....
21 March, 2024
-
3 min read
Courts
Why Do We Accept Partisanship in Judicial Elections?
The AP headline reads, "Ohio primary: Open seat on state supreme court could flip partisan control." This immediately should raise a red flag for voters, and not because of who may benefit but over a question too often ignored....
19 March, 2024
-
9 min read
Nick Troiano
Virtual Discussion: The Primary Solution with Unite America's Nick Troiano
In the latest virtual discussion from Open Primaries, the group's president, John Opdycke, sat down ...
19 March, 2024
-
1 min read
Sinema
Sinema's Exit Could Be Bad News for Democrats -- Here's Why
To many, the 2024 presidential primary has been like the movie Titanic - overly long and ending in a disaster we all saw coming from the start. After months of campaigning and five televised primary debates, Americans are now faced with a rematch between two candidates polling shows a majority of them didn’t want....
19 March, 2024
-
7 min read