Photos and audio by Samantha Calicutt
Arizona is at the forefront of new solutions to address climate change, thanks to federal investments in renewable energy.
That’s what Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) said at a press conference today with Arizona Senator Priya Sundareshan (Liberal-Del., 18th District) and outside SolarGain Tucson, a local solar manufacturing facility.
Since 2021, Arizona has received $10.5 billion in clean energy investments and incentives through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
“We are developing and deploying solar panels, batteries and other renewable energy technologies that will help reduce emissions and slow climate change,” Kelly said.
Senator Kelly added that these investments have created more than 11,000 jobs across the state.
Senator Sandareshan added that both the BIL and IRA are two of the most significant climate change bills to come out of Congress in recent years, and he commended Governor Katie Hobbs for her efforts to address climate change issues.
“We are grateful to Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, who has launched the Arizona Office of Resilience (OOR) to ensure Arizona can benefit from federal resources,” Sundareshan said.
The state senator also said OOR will soon distribute approximately $153 million in residential energy rebates for low- and moderate-income households’ purchases of energy-efficient products, and $156 million in Solar for All grants and loans for residential adoption.
Solar for All is a program run by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will enable over 900,000 low-income households to benefit from solar energy.
Arizona was announced as one of 60 states to receive the grant in April.
View larger image Sen. Mark Kelly met with leaders from solar manufacturer Solar Gain on May 31, 2024. Kelly (left) discussed the details of Solar Gain’s products with Andrew Wible (right), the company’s service and quality control manager, and how access to solar power can benefit Southern Arizona residents in the future.
Samantha Calicutt, AZPM News
Solargain’s service and quality control manager, Andrew Wyble, said the company has been directly impacted by funding from the Federal Government and that 2022 will be a year of market growth for the company, with its workforce increasing by 50%.
Still, the clean energy industry faces challenges.
Wible said the biggest challenge for the solar industry is education, because talking about the environment has political implications.
“The wrong laws, the wrong tariffs, the wrong incentives can change everything,” Wible said.
The average residential solar system in Arizona can cost a homeowner more than $20,000, but Wible thinks it’s worth it.
“When we’re forced to look at climate change, as a lot of people do,” Wible said, “I just want people to understand that it’s not all about money. [consider] The environmental benefits and the emotional benefits of helping the environment.”
Ben Brice, senior state affairs manager for Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Action, a nonprofit that advocates for the environment, said he wants people to see the benefits of investing in clean energy across the state.
“BIL and IRA go beyond just solar power; they will bring fundamental change to the entire economy, now and into the future,” Brice said.
