Wanted - A Coalition of the Willing

Renewable Energy Gets a Jolt in Arizona   

Friends,

It was civil dialogue and collaboration leading to a more sustainable future at its best.

Over 200 participants gathered in Phoenix in late March for our Arizona Clean Energy Forum, a day-long opportunity to share ideas, research, and inspiration for jump-starting commercial scale renewable energy development in Arizona - and across the West.

The mix of speakers and attendees was impressive: energy developers and regulators, government officials and community leaders, tribal representatives and conservation advocates all shared tables, broke bread, and built bridges throughout the day.

"The forum was a big success since it not only brought a lot of diverse people together in one room to talk about renewable energy, but it also helped to get everyone onto the same page to build momentum for needed policy changes," said Dave Richins, director of the Institute's Sun Corridor Legacy Program, and a moderator at the forum. "Getting regulators, conservationists, and government officials to come together in Arizona to discuss issues such as where to site renewable energy plants and transmission infrastructure, and how to protect our natural resources in the process was huge."

The Arizona Advantage

Arizona has some of the sunniest weather in the country, with Yuma and Phoenix topping cities in the U.S. for the highest average number of clear days annually, with 242 and 211, respectively. This sunshine is coupled with expanses of open, relatively flat (often previously disturbed) ground that is favorable for locating large solar energy plants. Further enhancing this opportunity, proximity to major markets will allow Arizona to help satisfy an increasing demand for electricity, both in-state and in southern California.

Like many other states, Arizona has mandated that a certain percentage of its energy production come from renewable sources by a particular date. Known as the Renewable Energy Standard (RES), this policy requires that 15 percent of the retail electricity sold by the state's regulated utilities be produced from renewable sources by 2025.

Given its clear advantages, Arizona was slow getting out of the starting blocks. As of 2007, less than 1 percent of the state's total power generation came from renewable generation defined as eligible under the RES. This compares poorly to the renewable generation of surrounding states: 11 percent for California and Nevada, 8 percent for Colorado, and 6 percent for New Mexico.

The good news is that Arizona is picking up the pace. The state today has about 1500 megawatts of renewable energy projects  permitted or under construction and, according to the Solar Industry Association, there are more than 220 companies in the state that are focused on solar products.   

Providing an opportunity for renewable energy developers to hash out the issues with other stakeholders was one of the forum's primary objectives. "There were a lot of new and important relationships made that day, which will help push renewable energy activity forward in Arizona at a faster clip," said Eric Gorsegner, associate director for the Institute's Sun Corridor Legacy Program.

The Value of Sharing Good Ideas

Everyone can agree that clean energy is a good idea. The challenge is deciding how to achieve it with the least negative impact on communities, wildlife and the environment. All large-scale solar plants require large tracts of land, and many need significant amounts of water for cooling. Wind turbines change viewscapes, while transporting the power to users requires transmission structures that can run for hundreds or thousands of miles.

Balancing these drawbacks with the significant potential benefits of renewable energy - cleaner air, less greenhouse gas emissions, new jobs, and greater energy security - requires that all Arizonans be engaged in the conversation. As John Shepard, the Institute's renewable energy specialist, said when opening the forum: "A clean energy vision for Arizona will require broad engagement and commitment on the part of business, civic organizations, local jurisdictions, state agencies, and individual citizens." (see video below)

"This is an arena where things are moving very quickly, and there's a lot of change going on not only in technology but how we get from here to there," agreed Jim Kenna, state director of the Bureau of Land Management - Arizona, and a speaker at the forum. "There is value to sharing good ideas broadly."

Themes Emerge for Taking Action

Three major themes emerged from the forum - all of which involve follow-up action:

1.    Reach agreement on where to site large-scale renewables.
The Institute is supporting efforts to cluster renewable energy developments in specific locations on Bureau of Land Management, state trust land, and private lands. "We believe that collaboration across land ownerships will 'lift all boats' and facilitate faster development on the most appropriate lands," stated John Shepard. 

2.    Improve coordination among federal, state, and local permitting and approval processes.
This was a key outcome at the forum. All parties agreed that there are opportunities to reduce duplication of efforts and shorten the review period for individual energy projects, while maintaining adequate oversight.

3.    Think regionally about large-scale development.
Arizona cannot go it alone. The state is part of a broader regional energy market, importing and exporting energy to and from our neighboring states. It seems clear that greater coordination among states will increase the prospects of new energy jobs for Arizonans while enhancing our niche in this regional energy market. 

Next Steps - Thinking Regionally

Kris Mayes, former chairperson of the Arizona Corporation Commission and a speaker at the forum, challenged the group to think regionally about renewable energy development, and to work to create a 'Coalition of the Willing' in the West to spur regulators and government officials to work together - across state boundaries - for major renewable energy investments.

With its world class solar energy resources and the technologies currently available, Arizona seems well positioned to generate a significant amount of renewable energy through a variety of solar generation systems and scales. While there are issues and obstacles to overcome, promising new technologies that improve efficiencies, lower costs, and decrease cooling water demand are expected to help make it easier for Arizona to realize its solar potential.

In the meantime, furthering the dialogue and new relationships sparked at the forum will be critical. Amanda Ormond, former director of the Arizona Energy Office in the Department of Commerce and key forum organizer, gave us our call to action: "Going forward, we each have a part to play in shaping our energy future and a responsibility to engage. We are not going to solve these problems in isolation. The only way to resolve these issues is through collaboration, and we need to be innovative as we look to the future."

Well spoken Amanda.     

Sincerely,   

Luther Propst

Executive Director