Arizona solar capacity ranks third in the nation

Arizona continues to grow as a leader in renewable energy, according to a new study by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). SEIA’s U.S. Solar Market Insight report found that Arizona had the third-most residential solar capacity in the first quarter with 41.9 megawatts. Overall, the state had 52.83 megawatts of solar installations in the first quarter. “That is one of our richest natural resources. We have a lot of sun here in Arizona, and when you combine that with some programs that move solar forward and the declining costs associated with installing solar, you get additional solar on your system,” APS director of resource planning Jeff Burke said. “As an industry, we’re trying to make sure that we’re making progress towards a cleaner energy mix. This is one of the things we do in addition to nuclear and demand-side management to achieve that goal.” Currently, APS has the fifth-largest solar energy portfolio of any utility in the country, with 1.4 gigawatts of energy in their system. They are one of the largest solar contributors to Arizona, which has the second-highest amount of solar energy in the nation. The demand for more renewable resources is rapidly growing. According to the SEIA, the US added more solar power than any other type of electricity in the first quarter of 2018. In fact, a Yale study found this is a global trend, as the world solar market grew 29.3 percent last year.