Experts: Arizona’s solar growth could slow in coming year

After years of rapid growth, residential solar power installations in Arizona are likely to slow down some in the near future as prices tick up and utility incentives shrink, experts say.... Read more»

Rally slams Corporation Commission for solar incentive cuts

Environmentalists and solar industry leaders rallied Wednesday outside the Arizona Corporation Commission, saying they fear recent cuts to renewable-energy incentives will lead to future reductions that could harm the industry.... Read more»

Feds map 200k acres of Az public land with renewable energy potential

Nearly 200,000 acres are covered by the U.S. Interior Department announcement, which follows a three-year statewide environmental review. A federal official calls the designation a “go-to map” for those looking to develop large-scale solar and wind energy in Arizona.... Read more»1

Solar energy officials see bright future

There are four elements needed for the growth and vitality of the solar-energy industry, but none may be more important than continued incentives for both manufacturers and consumers, industry officials said last week.... Read more»1

Feds spotlight 2 Az sites for solar projects

The federal government identified two sites in Arizona Tuesday as hot spots for solar energy, part of a larger plan to spur development of utility-scale solar projects in six Western states. The Arizona sites cover just under 6,000 acres and have the potential to generate 663 megawatts of electricity,... Read more»

Guest opinion

Corporation Commission took hatchet to Az solar industry

An emerging industry working hard to take root in our state has been undermined by a so-called conservative Republican commission. Instead of nurturing what we have, this year the ACC took a hatchet to it.... Read more»2

Official: U.S. playing catch-up in solar energy

The U.S. market for solar energy has grown substantially but still has a long way to go, said a federal official. Germany produces more solar power in a month than the United States does in a year. And Arizona, a natural place for solar development, ranks behind both California and New Jersey in production.... Read more»

Change to Buckeye solar project looking like ‘win–win’

A proposed solar energy project in the West Valley needed a city’s worth of water from a nearby reservoir and a backup natural gas system to operate. A year later, it didn’t. Shifts in solar technology have driven down costs far enough that Sonoran Solar will drop its proposed steam-powered turbine and go with an all-electronic photovoltaic system that uses 95 percent less water.... Read more»

Guest opinion

Focus on Solyndra distracts from benefits of solar

There is a segment of the U.S. economy that employs more than 100,000 people – and during the past year, employment in that segment grew by more than 6.8 percent. That bright spot is the U.S. solar industry - one of the fastest-growing industries in the nation.... Read more»

ASU reaches milestone in effort to boost solar power generation

ASU is installing 2,100 solar panels on the roof of Wells Fargo Arena, boosting the university’s solar energy capacity to 10 megawatt-hours. The Sun Devils have 40,000 solar panels that generate about 5 percent of ASU’s total annual energy consumption.... Read more»

Guest opinion

Solar boom underway in Tucson, Southern Arizona

The question is not if we will see increasing demand for solar power in the coming years, it is only whether Arizona will dominate this emerging industry or will settle for a small slice of the pie. Our state can and must be at the very epicenter of this burgeoning industry.... Read more»1