Arizona Solar Center Blog

A decade ago Governor Napolitano asked me to present at an energy forum of the National Governors Association taking place in Wilmington, Delaware.

It's as if the star characters of the kid's game "Rock, Paper, Scissors" finally figured out that working together can be a whole lot more productive (and fun!) than one always ending up as a loser.

When you have been involved in this industry for five decades, it’s hard to look at where solar energy is today -- compared to where it was in the 1970s -- and not be thankful.

This past month Arizonans witnessed the dismantling of its Energy Office in what was described as a budget saving move.

The debate over climate change is largely settled, and most Americans understand that one of the best weapons to reduce climate altering emissions is for individuals to employ passive solar strategies and adopt renewable energy technologies.

This morning while thinking of all the solar pioneers and their contributions to an alternative future, I was inspired by a speech my son, Jimmy, delivered last week at the state capitol as part of the protest against budget cuts to education.

Salt River Project management has proposed dramatic changes to its residential electricity rates that carry significant impacts for its more than 12,000 rooftop solar customers.

The biggest clean energy story in 2014 may well be our Story of the Year again come next December: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan.

Some of the biggest issues facing society in the new year will involve finding solutions to our energy and climate problems, and how the growing tension over power production plays out. As the calendar turns to 2015, the Arizona Solar Center takes a look back at some of the major solar stories that made headlines in 2014.

Earthwise, Solar Choice and Solar Partners are just some of the marketing catchphrases and program names that have characterized utility solar programs in Arizona since 1997.

Earlier this week the New York Times published an article about how environmental issues have become a major force in political advertising during this election cycle.

Arizona is about to begin an important discussion on the cost benefits of solar energy. The discussion is scheduled for May 7 as part of a series of workshops the Arizona Corporation Commission has scheduled to examine the impacts of innovation on the utility business model.

This week’s Sun Day Blog(s) covers both sides of the issue of the Net Metering debate. APS and AriSEIA (Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association) were asked to provide their respective positions on the Arizona Corporation Commission Staff’s recommendations concerning the net metering proposed changes offered earlier this summer by APS.

October 1 -- Yesterday the Arizona Corporation Commission Staff issued its highly anticipated recommendations in response to APS's proposed rule changes directed at residential solar customers.

Eleven years ago I wrote a guest editorial for the Arizona Daily Sun newspaper in Flagstaff in which I put forward a question that was quite popular at the time: "Why isn't there more solar in Arizona?"

Employment opportunities in the energy sector are exploding. New enhanced exploration techniques have created a boom in the oil and gas fields. Jobs in this sector are projected to double by the end of the decade.