by Kara Kelty | Arizona Daily Sun

Thursday, September 10, 2009

It’s no secret that Arizona’s unique mix of sunshine and vast, open lands makes our state a natural in leading the clean energy movement. Research by the U.S. Department of Energy shows that Arizona’s ample sunshine can provide 100 times more electricity than the entire state currently uses. According to a 2008 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) evaluation of U.S. geothermal resources, Arizona could power more than 600,000 homes using existing technology. With technology currently under development, USGS estimates the state’s geothermal resources could power another 30 million homes, nearly 13 times the number of homes in the state.

Efforts by the public and private sectors to put Arizona’s abundant renewable resources to work powering our homes, businesses and schools are under way and growing. — The NBA’s Phoenix Suns teamed up with EI Solutions and Tioga Energy on a solar energy system to supply power to the team’s home arena.

– Arizona Public Service (APS) is partnering with Abengoa Solar to construct a solar plant capable of producing enough electricity for 70,000 homes when fully operational in 2011. The new plant in Solana will create up to 2,000 construction jobs while providing APS with more solar electricity per customer than any utility in the U.S.

– Arizona’s first commercial wind facility, the Dry Lake Wind Project, has created 100 new construction jobs and 5-8 permanent operations and maintenance positions in the first phase of a multi-phase project. Located near Snowflake, Arizona, SRP has committed to purchasing the power to provide electricity to 15,000 homes.

The federal economic stimulus created a down payment on our clean energy future, investing in renewable energy, energy efficiency, smart grid technology and plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. Arizona was one of the first states to receive stimulus funds, and the money will enhance and expand Arizona’s longstanding State Energy Program. Since the 1970s, the state program has focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and is expected to create more than 1,500 jobs for Arizonans. Economic stimulus funds build on the work being done by this important state program that helps our working families save money through energy efficiency.

Additionally, $22.8 million of Arizona’s $57 million weatherization program is already being put toward assistance to make low-income households in Arizona more energy efficient. According to U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, “This investment will save money for hardworking families while creating jobs, reducing pollution and moving us toward energy independence.”

Compounding these gains, Governor Brewer recently signed into law a bill that extends tax credits and other incentives to manufactures of renewable energy equipment if they locate in Arizona, enticing new businesses to set up shop here and making Arizona more competitive in the clean energy economy.

These are just a few examples of work being done in Arizona to transition away from the dirty energy of our past and toward the clean energy of the future, creating good jobs with good wages at the same time. The U.S. Senate is currently considering clean energy and climate legislation that would enhance Arizona’s burgeoning clean energy economy, invest in the infrastructure necessary to harness our state’s natural resources and create tens of thousands of jobs for workers across a wide range of skill sets and specialties. Passage of this legislation would significantly enhance the renewable energy economy in our state and across the nation.

According to the Center for American Progress, the House-passed clean energy and climate legislation, coupled with clean energy investments from the federal economic stimulus, could create more than 29,000 jobs in Arizona. Clean energy investments generate more than three times as many jobs than an equivalent investment in the fossil fuel industry. These jobs won’t be located in just one area of the state and they are not specific to just one industry. Clean energy jobs are jobs for roofers, truck drivers, welders, electricians, computer software engineers, autoworkers, agricultural workers and more.

These are jobs building, transporting and installing wind turbines; installing solar panels; and constructing new and retrofitting old buildings, homes and schools to make them more energy efficient. Clean energy jobs use the skills of today’s workers, and passing clean energy and climate legislation is the single most important thing we can do to revitalize our nation’s manufacturing sector and boost our economy for the long run.

This isn’t about political differences, this is about making sure that our economy continues to grow and create good and sustainable jobs. Transitioning to clean energy is the right thing to do for Arizona’s economy, for our working families struggling to make ends meet, for the college graduates looking for jobs, and for this beautiful place that we call home.

Kara Kelty, a former member of the Flagstaff City Council, is director of Friday’s Southwest Renewable Energy Conference at NAU.