- Arizona ranked 5th in the United States for solar generation and 7th for growth since 2014.
- Renewable energy accounted only 16% of Arizona’s energy sales in 2023.
- The state possesses enormous growth opportunities in the renewable energy sector, mainly in the solar sector.
- The Arizona rank in generating wind energy stays at 27th, with plenty of scope for improvement in this domain.
The latest Renewables on the Rise 2024 dashboard by Environment Arizona Research & Policy Center shows that over the past ten years, the level of solar and wind energy generation in Arizona has skyrocketed by 187%. Still, with such growth, renewable energy sources remain a very minor portion of 16% of total energy sales as of 2023, lagging behind other states within the South West region.
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The report shows Arizona as the 5th highest state in total solar generation and 7th in terms of growth since 2014. The analysis was made by way of the Arizona Corporation Commission’s attempt to repeal Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff, requiring utilities to produce 15% of their energy through renewable sources by 2025. Moreover, an energy-efficiency rule under which electric and gas utilities are required to achieve a 22% energy saving by 2020 is proposed to be repealed.
“Arizona has some of the strongest potential for renewable energy in the country, and it is good to see continued growth in solar. We need strong clean energy standards and investment to fully unlock the state’s vast renewable resources,” said Johanna Neumann, Senior Director for the Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy at Environment Arizona Research & Policy Center.
Arizona continues to make progress in several categories of clean energy. This means the state has installed enough solar panels to power more than a million homes, putting it among the top states for battery capacity, which, at this point in time, is second only to two others.
It also ranked ninth in electric vehicle registration with nearly 85,000 EVs on the roads at the end of 2023. Arizona also ranked 8th for incremental lifetime energy savings in 2022; its saved energy would power over a million U.S. homes for a year.
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Still, Arizona’s wind power industry remains in its infancy. In 2023, wind energy powered enough electricity to serve just over 160,000 homes, placing Arizona 27th in the nation for wind generation.
The Renewables on the Rise 2024 dashboard indicates a growth in six key clean energy technologies across the U.S. for the past decade in solar power, wind energy, battery storage, energy efficiency, electric vehicles, and EV charging stations. What it reveals is that the nation-wide, U.S. produced more than three times renewable electricity sourced from solar and wind in 2023 compared to 2014.
“Millions already benefit from Arizona’s significant clean energy progress,” said Neumann. “With federal tax credits for clean energy initiatives, now is the optimal point in time for state leaders to turn the vision of 100% clean and renewable energy in Arizona into reality.”
To put it bluntly, in the last decade, Arizona’s state did make significant strides forward in renewable energy, but there’s still vast space for growth, particularly when it comes to wind energy. Given the right policies and investment, this state can grow its renewable energy capacity and will continue its march toward higher rankings in clean energy adoption leaders.
