A Critical Part of Our Future

When you hear “energy policy,” what comes to mind? Do you think of lawyers and regulators sitting in drab rooms, interminable questions about arcane matters, and stacks and stacks of paper, with all this conducted over months and months? Does “boring” seem a fitting descriptor?

In some sense, this is true. Energy policy, like any public policy, is typically a long, deliberative process, conducted within a legal framework, with many stakeholders who hold diverse opinions. If we focus only on the process, it can seem boring. But that’s wrong. The illusion masks the actual nature of energy policy—this work is how we get to a better energy future! We have the choice to fundamentally change how we generate and use electricity, or to remain in the old paradigm that no longer serves either the desires of consumers or greater societal goals.

You Are Already Involved

All of us consume energy of some type. Except for a few rugged individuals, everyone in the United States uses electricity too. Some of us generate energy from rooftop solar or other sources. No matter if you consciously consider it or not, we all choose our energy sources. For example, do you have an electric or a natural gas water heater? Did you choose to buy an electric car, drive a vehicle powered by biodiesel, or stick with a fossil-fuel vehicle? Did you decide to use more or less energy when selecting electrical loads, choosing what size dwelling to live in, and determining where in the world you will live?

Whether you realize or not, energy policy affects your life, and your actions impact others. Why not become more purposefully engaged?

Our Electricity in Southern Arizona

Although Arizona doesn’t have oil or natural gas reserves, we are fortunate to have some of the best solar resources in the nation. We also have access to coal (along with all the deleterious effects from mine to smokestack). The Energy Information Administration’s Arizona Energy Profile shares the details on our energy mix.

Electricity in southern Arizona is currently dominated by coal. Our largest utility, Tucson Electric Power, estimated that coal generated 69% of the electricity they sold to homes, business, and industrial customers in 2017!

The good news is that TEP plans to reduce their use of dirty coal significantly over the coming years, dropping to 38%. But it’s discouraging that they only plan to make this happen by 2032, mainly through the increase of natural gas (from 11% to 26%).

Resistance to Change

So what are the barriers to to realizing a future with more energy efficiency, more solar, more wind, more energy storage—and most importantly—more customer choice and control? It is true that regulatory structures take time to change. But this is not an insurmountable problem. When enough citizens and consumers decide something is the right path and advocate for that outcome, regulators and other elected officials will (eventually) get the message, or be replaced!

Incumbents and monopolists do greatly benefit from the status-quo. Fundamentally, utility companies are not incentivized to innovate by our current regulatory structure. Instead, the current structure provides them greater profits when they remain static, build unneeded infrastructure, and do their level best to discourage new technologies such as rooftop solar. We can—and should—hold utilities responsible for their anti-consumer, anti-clean energy behavior. We should also advocate for policy that provides incentives for good behavior that brings cleaner energy to our communities.

Taking Concrete Steps

How do we get to a clean energy future in Arizona? Here are a few actions you can take:

Change yourself

Take stock of your energy use by looking at your electric, natural gas, and other energy bills. How can you reduce your energy use? You may want to hire a local expert to do a professional energy audit, or at least start with a do-it-yourself energy audit.

With today’s technologies and expertise, an energy efficient home should be more comfortable, less expensive, and just feel better. You can start with easy changes such as switching to LED lighting and weatherstripping your doors. You may also want to look at adding insulation or more energy-efficient windows to your home. And take stock of your appliances, too. It might be time to replace your old fridge or freezer.

Obviously, we’re big proponents of installing a rooftop solar electric system, but this should preferably occur after you’ve reduced your energy use.

Get educated

There’s a lot going on in energy policy, both nationally and in Arizona. How to keep up? Nationally, Greentech Media and Utility Dive are great sources for energy news. Locally, the Arizona Republic (particularly Ryan Randazzo) and Arizona Daily Star (David Wichner and others) do a good job of covering energy issues. The Arizona Capitol Times also provides excellent coverage, particularly of the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), but much of their content is behind a paywall. ASU’s Energy Policy Innovation Council provides helpful information on current and future energy policy in Arizona and beyond.

If you use Twitter, you’ll find many energy experts debating and sharing information on energy policy (once you get past the Russian bots, racism, and ad hominem attacks). Some of my favorites include Katherine Hamilton, Stephen Lacey, David Roberts, Kris Mayes, John Farrell, Anne Hoskins, and Karl Rábago. For more great people in the space, check out our Energy Policy Leaders list.

If you want to dig in deeper in Arizona energy policy, you can get involved when clean energy issues come up at the ACC. To learn more about various cases, you can visit eDocket, the ACC’s online document system. With eDocket, you can search by utility company name, or by docket number. You’ll be able to see almost all of the information about each case, such as utility filings, comments by consumers, testimony by advocates, and Commission decisions. We try to keep you up to date on cases involving TEP, Trico, and SSVEC on our social media streams.

You can also watch most ACC proceedings live or on archived video. This includes several different types of meetings. Hearings typically include all parties such as utilities, ACC staff, advocates, and consumers. They are run by an administrative law judge (ALJ). Evidence and testimony is presented, and witnesses can be asked questions by others involved. At open meetings, Commissioners make their final decision, choosing to accept, reject, or modify the recommendations of an ALJ. Other meetings include ACC staff meetings and special workshops.

Make your voice heard

Although it can seem that consumers get lost in the noise, your voice does matter at the Arizona Corporation Commission. I don’t know if this is true for current Commissioners, but one former Commissioner told me that they read every consumer comment they received.

You can provide comment on a specific issue online, or you can email Commissioners. Their contact info is their individual pages linked from the Meet the Commissioners page. If you send an email, you’ll want to mention the docket number for the item you’re commenting on.

The best way to make your voice heard at the ACC is to show up to provide public comment, either in person, or on the phone. This can sometimes feel daunting, but since the Commissioners usually only allocate three minutes each for public comment, it’s not a big time commitment. You’ll have time to share two or three thoughts on the issue at hand, then your time will be up.

Join forces

Does digging into these dockets yourself seem a bit daunting? Fortunately, there are a number of organizations composed of experts who have been engaged in this work for many years.

Vote Solar has intervened in just about every major utility case in Arizona over the past several years, advocating for the ability of consumers to adopt clean energy. They don’t just show up. They do the hard work of demonstrating how solar benefits everyone by completing detailed analysis and explanation. If you can spare a few bucks, donate today. If at all possible, make your donation monthly by clicking the box at the bottom of the online form.

For those of us in the solar industry, it’s important that we support state and national trade groups like AriSEIA and SEIA, who advocate for strong renewable energy policy. This is why Net Zero Solar is a member of both groups.

Other organizations doing great work around energy issues include the Sierra Club, Environment Arizona, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, and the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Elect candidates who care

Along with other important issues, consider where your candidates stand on clean energy. Not only is distributed clean energy a big driver of energy choice for consumers, but it also provides local jobs that build our community.

I think that many candidates across the political spectrum understand the important role cleantech plays in local economies (if they haven’t received large campaign contributions from utilities). But as you consider your vote, dig a bit deeper, beyond statements such as “I support solar.” What specific policies do candidates support? Are they committed to consumer energy choice? Are there pathways to implement their preferred policy? How might they work with others to make that change happen? Can they clearly articulate what roles utilities (and utility money) should or should not take in the policy process and our energy future?

For improved energy policy in Arizona, we should look first toward electing the best possible candidates for the Arizona Corporation Commission. If you’re voting in the primary, you may find watching the AZ Clean Elections Democratic debate and Republican debate helpful in making your decision. Follow our social media for more information as the campaigns continue or follow @louiswoof on Twitter for my personal thoughts.

Change laws

This fall, we all have a great opportunity to advance clean energy directly through the initiative process. Clean Energy for a Healthy Arizona has proposed a measure that would require electric utilities regulated by the Arizona Corporation Commission to reach 50% renewable energy by 2030, with at least 20% of that renewable energy coming from distributed sources such as rooftop solar.

We strongly support the initiative. Although Arizona was an early mover with a 15% renewable energy standard passed in 2006, it’s long past time that we increase our targets, especially as a state with so many renewable resources. We need to provide the “push” to utilities and regulators to hasten the transition to clean and cost-effective renewable energy. The targets in the initiative wouldn’t be the highest in the country, but they would place us much closer to a leadership position.

Arizona Public Service is spending millions of dollars to fight the measure, and seems desperate to shut it down, but we think that the people of Arizona’s voice will prevail. More solar is a no-brainer (if you’re not being paid to think otherwise), and a recent poll found 73% support for the initiative amongst sampled voters in Pima County. We hope that you will support the initiative, and vote yes in November.

Positive Action for Positive Change

There’s no question we’ve all got a lot of work to do if we want Arizona to be an renewable energy leader, but so many of the pieces are already in place. Solar is more cost-effective than ever, and is less expensive than most other energy sources. Energy storage options are increasing, and prices are dropping quickly. Technology is helping to knit together solar, storage, home energy management systems.

People love these options! Most Arizonans understand the economic and social benefits of transforming their energy use.

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to step off the sidelines, and take action. Change out your lightbulbs. Call your representatives and ask them how they are supporting increased renewable energy. Buy an electric car. Install solar. Start learning more (and don’t stop!). Join Vote Solar. March for climate and clean energy. Make a comment at the ACC. Educate your family and neighbors about the Clean Energy initiative.

Let’s stay hopeful and work together. We’ll see you out there!

Thoughts? Share them in the comments section below.