Inside Energy News
Earth+Bone – A Fronteras Desk Series Exploring Conflicts Over Sacred Lands
|
From the Fronteras Desk, a series that examines tribes, sacred sites and the conflicts that arise over these issues in the Southwest.
Inside Energy (https://insideenergy.org/tag/arizona/)
From the Fronteras Desk, a series that examines tribes, sacred sites and the conflicts that arise over these issues in the Southwest.
Arizona is one of the country’s reddest states and it’s also one of the sunniest. Conservatives there say there’s a good case to be made, based on economics and ideology, for backing the expansion of solar energy.
Donald Trump’s victory on Tuesday will have an immense impact on energy and environmental policy in this country. What exactly he and his administration will do with regards to bringing back the coal industry, deregulating oil and gas, exiting from the Paris Climate accord etc., will be discussed and analyzed in the days and weeks to come. In the meantime, here are the results of several important energy issues were on state ballots this week.
Energy and climate change have barely received any attention in this election season dominated by the largely issue-less Presidential race. But down the ballot, there are some important races and measures to watch today. Here’s a brief summary.
It may not be at the top of the ticket, but key battles are being waged on many state ballots over the future of energy this year. As the influence of solar grows, that industry and the power companies are clashing. As one of the top markets in the country, Arizona is ground zero for this fight. Both sides are hoping to tip the scales in their favor by spending big money to get the right regulators elected.
An Arizona utility is the first in the country to propose a mandated demand charge on electricity bills for practically all residential customers.
The people who run our electricity grids are trying to figure out what to do with solar and wind power that is generated when no one needs it. Take California – there’s enough solar there now to serve more than three million homes. But during the day, especially in the spring, demand is low and generation is high. So, that clean power has to be sent elsewhere. Right now, its going across state lines to Arizona.
As we talk about the future of renewable energy, there’s one aspect that should be at the forefront of the conversation: storage. We’ve already figured out how to capture wind and solar energy, but it’s equally important to figure out the best way to store this energy and use it when it’s needed.
As rooftop solar becomes more affordable, tensions have grown between electric utility companies and residents. Why? A widespread policy called net metering, which requires utilities to purchase back power generated by their customers’ solar panels, is nibbling at utility company’s bottom lines.