A new study found that the solar industry has added $7.3 billion to the Arizona economy, including $2.2 billion to workers. It has also added $83 million in state tax revenue, $50 million for cities, towns, and school districts, and $21 million for counties.
Manzo Elementary School uses a solar array for their award-winning ecology program. The curriculum teaches students with a garden under the solar array, where the students harvest tomatoes, basil, beans, squash, and more.
Amphenol Industrial Operations recently completed a new manufacturing facility to provide junction boxes to solar manufacturers. This state-of-the-art facility will produce 100,000 junction boxes per month and employ 70 Arizonans to work high paying manufacturing jobs.
American Legion Post 58 installed a 96-panel solar system that will help reduce the electricity bill for the veteran’s association. The solar array will last for 30 years and pay for itself within the first 9, offering over $198,000 in savings.
Animal Health Hospital in Tucson installed a 19.1 kW rooftop solar array that covers around 80% of the animal hospital’s energy needs. This saves the hospital over $360 each month and the solar array’s energy savings will completely pay for the system in under 5 years.
Kohler Associates officially inaugurated their Casa Grande facility that will employ 400 people. The facility will have a 21,000 kW solar microgrid and this will allow the facility to run on renewable energy even during cloudy days.
Notre Dame Preparatory High School installed a campus wide solar project that will power the school, providing air conditioning and lighting for some of Arizona’s brightest young minds.
Tucson-based Solon Solar installed 3,000 kW of solar at Mesa’s library, CK Luster Building, Transportation Building, and Solid Waste & Meter Shop. The solar arrays will shade over 600 spots and will provide the city with electricity that’s 30% cheaper than electricity they purchase from the grid.
OMCO Solar’s factory in Phoenix manufactures trackers and mounting systems using 100% American steel. OMCO’s products serve solar projects all around the country, making this Phoenix factory a key part of the American solar supply chain.
TSMC’s $1.2 billion facility in Arizona will manufacture critical semiconductors to onshore a key technology component. The facility installed solar carports to keep cars cool, generate clean electricity, and save money on electric bills.
A 14,500 kW installation in Tucson will provide clean, reliable electricity to Davis-Monthan Air Force base. This will be the biggest solar installation on an Air Force base in the country and drop electricity prices for the base from 8.6 cents per kilowatt to 4.5 cents per kilowatt, resulting in savings of $500,000 per year.
Brooklyn Pizza, a local favorite, installed rooftop solar panels to meet 100% of their electricity generating needs. This will provide the popular pizza restaurant over 160,000 kWh of electricity per year and save them nearly $500,000.
Naranja Park received free solar modules from Tucson Electric Power to help shade cars while Arizonans play soccer or other sports. The modules were donated and can provide 50 homes with power.
Arevon based out of Scottsdale is one of the country’s largest solar developers. They have over 3,700 MW of solar + storage projects operating or under construction, and another 5,000 MW under development. On average, they power 843,000 American homes with clean, cheap energy ever year.
Bisbee’s wastewater treatment plant built a 400 kW solar array at their San Jose Wastewater Treatment plant. This will meet 90% of the plant’s needs, saving the city and taxpayers $110,000 per year.
The Hualapi Tribe installed a solar plus storage microgrid at their Grand Canyon West business. It will supply 50% of the business’ electricity needs, including the Gran Canyon Skywalk that sees over 1 million visitors each year. This project will save the 2,300-member tribe $11.5 million over the next 25 years.
The USDA awarded over $55 million to build 35,000 kW of storage in rural Arizona. This will power around 3,000 households and help those in rural areas always keep the lights on.
The U.S. Army partnered with Tucson Electric Power to Expand their solar array to 22.2 MW. This array will help the base meet their energy security goals and provide enough electricity for over 1,000 homes.
The Sahuarita Unified School District installed solar panels and it has saved them thousands of dollars. This has helped the school district reroute money to programs that need increase funding, something the school district is very proud of.
Casas Church in Tucson has a 686 kW solar array that covers a children’s playground. This shades the kids while they play while also generating over 1,099,000 kWh of electricity each year. This covers 85% of the church’s electricity needs and will save the church nearly $2.5 million over 25 years.
Udall Park in Tucson AZ installed a 578.2 kW solar array, which will generate nearly 1,000,000 kWh of electricity per year. This will lead to significant savings for the city over the next 20 years, which in turn will save Tucson tax payers $200,000.’
Radiology LTD installed solar at Wilmot Center for Diagnostic and Women’s Imaging & Treatment as well as their offices. This will save the organization $142,000 per year, which could add up to over $3 million in a 25 year life span.
Since 2021, Arizona has received $10.5 billion of investments and incentives into clean energy, through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This has created over 11,000 jobs in the state and will help nearly 1 million low-income households benefit from solar energy.
McCarthy Building Companies is an industry leader in renewable energy construction. They’ve installed nearly 4,000 MWh of energy storage, over 9,500 MWh of utility scale solar, and has developed more than 85 projects across the country.
The Arizona Diamondbacks installed a 75kW solar power structure that provides shade for fans hanging out before the game at Chase Field. This will generate electricity for the stadium for at least 20 years and help power the Diamondbacks to victory!
Farmers throughout Arizona have turned to agrivoltaics, the combination of solar panels and agriculture, to save water. Students from the University of Arizona have been working with the USDA to find how solar can help farmers. They’ve found significant water savings for farmers while also generating up to 40% of the farm’s energy needs.
The Cocopah Tribe received a $5 million grant to supply 90% of the tribe’s electricity needs. The Tribal business director said, “The solar farm project will lower our electricity costs and provide us with a sustainable way to power our enterprises.”
The Tucson Diocese is a global leader in solar deployment, with 12 parishes installing solar projects. One parish, St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, has saved up to $4,500 per month with its solar project. St. Augustine Cathedral has also installed a solar project that will supply 95% of the chancery and campus.
LG Energy Solutions announced plans to build out a battery energy storage system manufacturing facility in Queens Creek. This facility was made possible due to IRA manufacturing tax credits, as the operating profit totaled nearly $337 billion and without the tax credit, there would have been a quarterly operating lost $12.8 million.
The Tucson Unified School District is installing solar panels at more than 40 campuses, which will save the school district up to $75,000 per year. The solar installations will also offer shaded parking at the schools, making the installation a "win-win" for everybody involved.