Is the fix in to put brakes on AZ solar?

by David Safier

I'm out of my area of expertise here, but this is worth discussing. I hope others will chime in.

HB2701 would include nuclear energy as a renewable energy resource. This seems ridiculous to me on its face, since the source of nuclear power has to be mined and refined. It's definitely a finite, non-renewable resource.

But apparently the legislation is more insidious than ridiculous. If nuclear power is legally considered renewable, that takes away the incentive to add solar and wind power in Arizona. According to the Phoenix Sun,

Under current law, the Arizona Corporation Commission’s RES mandates that utilities must generate 15 percent of electricity from renewable sources by the year 2025. Since the state’s largest utility, APS, already gets approximately 27 percent of its electricity from a nuclear power plant outside of Phoenix, HB 2701 would allow the company to stop adding any new renewable power sources.

Sean Seitz, president of American Solar Electric, one of the largest solar installers in the valley, agreed with Mayes’ assessment of HB 2701. “If this bill passed in its current form,” predicted Seitz, “the current program…would be a skeleton of itself.”

The bill would make Arizona the only state that includes existing nuclear power plants in an RES.

The Arizona Corporation Commission chair, Kris Mayes said HB2701 "would surely be the death knell for advancing solar energy in the state.”

HB2701 has, by my count, 52 sponsors. Included, not surprisingly, are southern Arizona's own Al Melvin, Vic Williams, Frank Antenori, David Gowan, David Stevens and Jonathan Paton. (Does Paton want to pick a fight with Giffords on solar energy? That could be worth watching.)