Clean Energy a Mandate in Arizona

A mandate in Arizona

In 2006, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) ordered Arizona utilities to begin generating electricity from renewable resources with the goal of reaching 15% renewable generation by 2025. At that time Arizona produced 0.01% of its electricity by solar energy, the same for wind. Reaching the mandated goal will be very expensive. At the time of this writing I was unable to find exactly where we are in that production schedule. However, Arizona Public Service (APS) appears to state they are on target and the utility company is spending millions and millions of dollars in an attempt to reach that goal. APS spent close to 50 million dollars in 2009 alone in incentives and 84 million dollars in 2010. On top of that they spent over 5.4 million dollars just in marketing their renewable programs. Who pays for that? The rate payers are the ones that pay this whether they participate in it or not. There are organizations that are filing suits to fight the Corporation Commissions mandate; however at this point it appears they are not winning. The money is being spent and the consumer will pay for it via higher utility bills.

The smart grid

Unless you live under a rock, it is hard not to have heard of the Department of Energy’s push for “The Smart Grid”. This new integrated system is going to become a reality, although it will be a few years away it does appear to be inevitable. It has many benefits in securing our country’s electrical grid from terrorist attacks and will offer state-of-the-art technologies that will seamlessly integrate all forms and sizes of power generating. The more educated a consumer is, the more he will be able to actively participate in which power and consumption will be beneficial for him. All of this while giving data to our government on our consumption of power and what type of power we use. Big Brother will then be able to tax our power consumptions differently. If you are not utilizing clean energy you will be paying more for your electricity than your neighbor.