Solar Energy

Arizona still gets a significant amount of power from burning coal. How soon could that change?

February 24, 2023

Four years ago, the biggest electric company in Arizona declared that solar energy plants paired with batteries were the cheapest way to power the state, marking a major departure from fossil fuels. Months later, the largest coal-fired power plant in the West, the Navajo Generating Station, shut down outside of Page, ending a 45-year run. Arizona Public Service Co. and Salt River Project appeared to dive headfirst into renewables at the expense of coal.

SRP Solar for Nonprofits to provide solar energy systems to two Valley nonprofits

February 20, 2023

Two Valley nonprofit agencies, Native Health and Catholic Charities Community Services, have been selected to receive new solar energy systems as part of the SRP Solar for Nonprofits program. The donated solar systems will be built on top of parking lot structures, or “solar canopies,” also donated by SRP Solar for Nonprofits.

Arizona Technology Council and SmartPower announce Solarize at Work partnership program

February 17, 2023

The Arizona Technology Council and SmartPower, two organizations long-committed to sustainability and clean energy innovation throughout Arizona and nationally, today announced a new partnership named Solarize at Work to help employees at Arizona’s leading technology companies go solar.

Here’s how new legislation could boost Arizona solar development

February 7, 2023

For about 300 days each year, the sun shines down on the Valley, making it a refuge for those wanting to pack away their parkas in favor of flip flops. Such conditions are nice for pool parties and tee times, but Phoenix’s glut of sunny days are also conducive for solar power generation. With President Joe Biden’s signature on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), federal funds will make it easier for residents and developers to harness one of Arizona’s greatest assets and convert it into clean energy. The question now: How will the new legislation boost Arizona solar development?

Massive Jove Solar project in Arizona moves closer to reality

January 31, 2023

La Paz County, Arizona, could soon be the site of a large-scale solar energy facility if the U.S. government approves Jove Solar LLC’s application for a 30-year right-of-way grant. The project’s plan and the environmental concerns were discussed during a virtual public scoping meeting held by the Bureau of Land Management Tuesday. If approved, the Jove Solar Project would produce up to 600 megawatts of energy to sell to either California or Arizona, which would support the growing energy demand. The site would include 3,495 acres of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and an additional 38 acres of land in La Paz County.

Arizona’s largest solar plant expected to offset 1B pounds of CO2 yearly

January 30, 2023

The Salt River Project has partnered with Clēnera, a private renewable energy company, to bring Arizona its largest solar plant by 2024. Construction of the CO Bar Solar plant will begin this year on 2,400 acres of private land northwest of Flagstaff in Coconino County. Upon completion, it is expected to offset 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide each year while generating power for 80,000 Arizona homes.

Atlis Motor Vehicles reaches 2 gigawatt-hours in customer demand for batteries

January 13, 2023

Atlis Motor Vehicles (Nasdaq: AMV), a vertically integrated electric vehicle technology ecosystem company, and the first battery manufacturer to be fully owned and operated in the US, today announced it has reached a milestone of two gigawatt-hours’ worth of battery capacity demand in the form of non-binding Letters of Intent, Memoranda of Understanding, and Purchase Orders from multiple customers in the automotive, heavy equipment, and solar industries.

Solar company announces manufacturing plant, hundreds of jobs for Phoenix

January 11, 2023

A China-based solar cell and module manufacturer is locating its first U.S. manufacturing plant in the Phoenix metro at a newly built industrial facility. JA Solar, which has corporate offices across the globe, signed a lease in December for a 763,410-square-foot building at the GO|99 South project located at the southeast corner of 99th Avenue and Buckeye Road in west Phoenix. The project will represent a $60 million investment. JA Solar will manufacture photovoltaic products at the facility including high-efficiency solar panels, also known as photovoltaic modules, for commercial and residential rooftops and for utility-scale solar power plant deployment with annual production capacity of two gigawatts.

SRP approves new East Valley solar generating facility

December 15, 2022

The Salt River Project is set to begin work on the second phase of a solar installation that will be the nonprofit utility’s first utility-scale solar asset that it develops, owns and operates by itself. When complete, the solar generation facility at the Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center in Florence, southeast of Mesa, will be able to generate up to 55 megawatts of solar energy, which is enough to power about 12,000 homes.

Tempe-based First Solar building a $1.1B manufacturing plant in Alabama

November 23, 2022

Alabama will soon welcome an Arizona green manufacturer that will invest more than $1.1 billion bringing a facility to the state. Tempe-headquartered First Solar Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) plans to establish a photovoltaic (PV) solar module manufacturing facility in Lawrence County, creating more than 700 new jobs in North Alabama. According to a release, the factory is part of the company’s previously announced investment in scaling its American manufacturing footprint to more than 10 gigawatts by 2025.

Solar Energy

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