Arizona Recipient of Nearly $710,000 to Streamline Solar-Energy Installation

Federal Funds to Accelerate Solar Power Development in Arizona PHOENIX The State of Arizona has been awarded nearly $710,000 to facilitate rooftop solar-energy installation. The funding, provided to the Governor‟s Office of Energy Policy, is part of the U.S. Department of Energy‟s SunShot Initiative. The Initiative is a large-scale effort to make solar energy more accessible and affordable, and to accelerate domestic solar deployment nationwide. Arizona is at the forefront of solar-energy development and expansion, and has even been dubbed the "Solar King,‟ said Governor Brewer. This grant will be instrumental in making installation of solar panels faster, easier and less expensive for Arizona homeowners and businesses. As solar energy becomes more cost-efficient and widespread, Arizona is ready to capitalize on the quality jobs created by this promising industry. With this grant, the State of Arizona will work to reduce barriers to solar-energy installation by lowering costs and identifying best practices in finance, permitting and zoning. The State is moving toward voluntary, statewide uniformity in solar permitting, for example, and five jurisdictions will pursue adoption of an online system that will allow over-the-counter, same-day review of permits. The Arizona Governor‟s Office of Energy Policy team includes the following partner organizations: the City of Flagstaff, City of Phoenix, City of Tucson, Arizona State University‟s Global Institute of Sustainability and SmartPower. The State of Arizona‟s grant is part of $12 million awarded to 22 teams nationwide in coordination with the SunShot Initiative. These teams will work to standardize permitting, planning and zoning processes and increase access to financing all with the aim to improve the cost-effectiveness of solar energy so that it can be more broadly deployed for homes and businesses. As solar energy becomes more common, the Arizona economy is poised to reap the benefits. In October, the 2011 National Solar Jobs Census ranked Arizona 3rd in the country in terms of its number of solar jobs. The state climbed five spots in the national rankings between the 2010 and 2011 reports. Since the state‟s Renewable Energy Tax Incentive Program took effect in 2010, nine renewable-energy companies representing more than 2,100 jobs and $1 billion in capital investment have located or expanded operations in Arizona. Another three large-scale projects are currently in the works, with total investments exceeding $2.7 billion.