November 17, 2015
Arizona can increase its energy generation enough to power more than 603,000 homes by 2030, according to a recent renewable energy build-out study by The Sonoran Institute, in collaboration with ASU’s Energy Policy Innovation Council (EPIC).
The study – undertaken in response to the EPA's Clean Power Plan rule, which requires states to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions from existing electricity generation facilities by 2030 – finds that Arizona can generate at least 4,300 megawatts of new energy by that time. It reports that the state can achieve this by drawing on existing solar and wind projects undergoing planning and permitting, and by tapping the state’s potential for siting large-scale renewable generation facilities in a number of new locations.
In collaboration with EPIC, which is co-directed by sustainability experts Kris Mayes and Mike Pasqualetti, The Sonoran Institute identified 15 solar and wind projects that could be generating power by 2022 – the rule’s interim deadline. Additional projects are already being located on lands identified as potentially suitable by 2030.