A renewable energy future is within our grasp: the technology is now widely available and cost-effective in most places around the world. This working paper focuses on the challenges and solutions to scaling investment in renewable energy generation and provides actionable policy solutions to unlock the private sector investment needed to support the energy transition.
This project is part of SRP’s multiyear plan to address next-generation grid challenges, including managing sustainable and fast-expanding distributed energy resources such as solar panels, wind turbines and cogeneration plants, as well as handling bidirectional power flow and allowing more intermittent sources of power into the system.
The new rules update the Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff that an all-Republican commission passed in 2006 and requires utilities to get 15% of their power from renewables by 2025, as well as the 2010 energy-efficiency requirements for them to use efficiency measures to meet 22% of their energy demand by this year.
Arizona’s culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, vibrant workforce and business-friendly environment create opportunities for strategic investment that bring jobs and capital to the state. This is not by accident. Arizona’s leaders and policymakers have prioritized economic development, ensuring the state is positioned to meet the needs of the tech and advanced manufacturing industries.
Arizona utility company Salt River Project advances solar in the desert; Nikola Corporation announces collaboration to expedite zero-emission transportation; KORE Power names Arizona as one of three finalists for new lithium-ion battery factory; ElectraMeccanica breaks ground on Mesa manufacturing facility; Gilbert, Ariz.-based Footprint recognized as one of the country’s top, private-sector sustainability innovators; and more.
Commissioner Márquez Peterson’s energy–smart leadership has the Arizona Corporation Commission going in the right direction, making sure that Arizonans realize the full benefits of current energy market trends. Beyond being good for our wallets, it represents the most prudent, market-oriented, and conservative path forward for Arizona.
Nikola Corporation (Nasdaq: NKLA), a global leader in zero-emissions transportation and infrastructure solutions, announced a collaboration with Total Transportation Services Inc. (TTSI), one of Southern California’s prominent port trucking companies, to expedite zero-emission transportation at the port of Los Angeles/Long Beach.
Despite more than three years of stakeholder engagement and bipartisan cooperation, and with utilities, businesses, consumer advocates, and communities of faith all aligned in support, the ACC voted down its proposed energy rules* 3 to 2 at its Open Meeting. This is a disappointing end to a three-year-long process that consolidated broad support behind a shift to cleaner, more affordable energy options for Arizona families and businesses.
Carbon Mapper, a new nonprofit organization partnering with the University of Arizona, announced a groundbreaking program to help improve understanding of and accelerate reductions in global methane and carbon dioxide emissions. The Carbon Mapper consortium also announced plans to deploy a satellite constellation to pinpoint, quantify and track methane and carbon dioxide emissions.
APS launches its statewide community effort to help small business owners adopt sustainable business practices that save money, energy and attract environmentally minded consumers. The Going Green & Going Smart Program is a statewide community effort that puts valuable sustainability resources and energy insights into the hands of small business owners across Arizona. APS partnered with the Compass CBS Foundation to design the program and develop content, which can be accessed at greenbizaz.com.