Plug-in solar will spread across the country quickly. It did so in Germany, is doing so in Europe, and will do so here. What is needed is legislation passed in each state to allow it to happen. There was an attempt to get legislation passed in Arizona, but it failed. It will be back. California is the newest state to get close to passing a bill to allow plug-in solar.
Clean energy is not a left or right issue. It is an economic common-sense issue.
Balcony solar is a mini-solar movement in the US, just beginning to take off.
Tucson is looking into doing something like this, and I believe Flagstaff might also. Why pay investors to accomplish something we can do ourselves? The grid, and our energy landscape, is in for a big change, and this might be part of it.
A most likely ill-informed Hobbs has approved of a $5.3 billion methane pipeline to bring gas into Arizona, to serve not yet approved or built gas power plants. Solar or wind + storage now being cheaper, this locks us into what will become a stranded asset. Very foolish move.
APS is seeking a 14% rate increase. There is an open meeting at the ACC next Monday, May 18, in order to get public input. Visit utilitiesr3.org to place a comment in the docket, or visit azutilityreport.com to see more info about the rate hike. Also, there is a rally outside the ACC at 9:00 am, at 1200 W. Washington St., and you can comment in person if you care to.
Energy efficiency is the least expensive energy there is, yet our ACC recently repealed the EE rules, stating that they put a burden on rate-payers. Not true. When one home becomes more energy efficient, it lowers everyone's electric bill because expensive upgrades to the grid become unnecessary. ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Balcony solar is gaining unstoppable momentum here in the US. 7 states have sent bills to their governor, and many more are looking at it. It didn't pass here in Arizona this time, but hopefully we can get it through next year. Plug-in solar
Another agency confirms that solar + storage is the cheapest and most reliable form of energy that's available today.
Renewables are bringing money and jobs to Arizona. Sun Pond solar
The utilities recognize that virtual power plants are the next thing happening in the energy world, so they want to own it. There is no point in paying shareholders when we can own the VPP ourselves. VPP's
The following article has 1 error in it: both APS and TEP have reached their 15% target. However, there is a valid point made that there is opposition to the cheapest, most reliable, and quickest to deploy source of energy, solar + storage, because of partisan reasons.
Virtual power plants will be the thing of the future. Virginia is touching on this by investing in small batteries.
Here, they are providing discounted batteries to homeowners and using that as a source of backup power for the grid. Home batteries
Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) happens when a town purchases the electricity from different energy generators, i.e., wind farms, solar farms, etc., and then sells the electricity to the people, bypassing the investor-owned utility. This can lead to cheaper and cleaner energy. Tucson is currently looking into this, but state law needs to change for this to happen. The state of Maine is now allowing CCA's.