Ray from p 16 And that helps to keep the thumb of utility companies on the solar energy scale in Arizona, Gordon said. She paid $30,000 for her system, which is close to the average cost in Arizona. “It wasn’t the greatest investment,” she admitted. She and her husband bought solar pan- els for their Mesa home on the SRP grid in 2020 for financial reasons, but “it’s not proving to be that way,” she said. “That has been very frustrating. The metering pays almost nothing.” Because she can afford it and wants to keep carbon out of the atmosphere as the state gets dryer, Gordon is content with her solar panels. But there is no longer a finan- cial incentive, she said. Advocates concur. “If you have solar for SRP, you’re doing it for environmental reasons, not to save money,” Fanshaw said. “And that’s too bad.” But solar industry executives disagree. Aaron Baker, who owns and operates Ironman Solar out of Goodyear, still sees a financial benefit to going solar. As solar buyback credit has eroded, the price of solar panels has also decreased. Selling solar is no harder now than it was when Baker founded the company in 2019, he said. James Deak owners like Baker who are trying to help neighbors achieve energy independence. “It feels like a fear tactic,” he said. “It’s like, ‘Don’t bash us or you can’t have a business.’” SRP officials explained that the company has a program to make the pro- cess to install solar easier for its ratepayers with a preferred solar installer list that has qualified companies. “SRP’s focus continues to be ensuring SRP pricing policies are equitable for our entire customer base,” Garcia-Likens, SRP’s representative said. “We do this while continuing to support new technolo- gies as well as solar customers who gener- ate some of their own power and only need retail energy during certain parts of the day such as when the sun is down.” And people harbor distrust for solar salesmen because underqualified, under- trained installers have tried to cash in on the somewhat unregulated world of selling solar, Baker said. That’s exactly what happened to Stefanie Bret Fanshaw Bret Fanshaw, director of Solar United Neighbors of Arizona: “If you have solar for SRP, you’re doing it for environmental reasons, not to save money. And that’s too bad.” That’s not to say it’s easy. “It’s a very cutthroat industry,” he said. “People can put whatever price tag they want on this thing.” Solar energy systems can cost over $100,000 and are only an option for homeowners. But it’s “fear of the unknown” that discourages most potential customers from pulling the trigger, Baker said. Arizonans lack confidence in rooftop solar because the powers at be have tried to keep it out of the state, like when APS campaigned against pro-solar candidates just a few years ago. And because solar installers are still 18 required to connect to the grid, utility com- panies constantly loom over small business Werner, who moved to Phoenix in 2020 and bought solar panels for her new house. “I just want to pack the entire system up and return it,” she said. Werner shelled out $68,000 to another local company for a solar setup. Nearly a year later, it’s still not up and running properly. “In the current employment climate in Arizona, I can see there’s a lack of train- ing,” she said. No, going solar isn’t a guarantee that any SRP customer will save money, says Chandler-based solar consultant Sam Friedberg. “Sometimes it does make sense, sometimes it doesn’t,” he said. Soaking Up the Sun But it’s not a negative experience for everyone. Edward Youssef installed solar shingles — a system of small solar panels that cover the entire roof — on his Gilbert home just last month, and he’s already seeing a Shelley Gordon paid $30,000 for this solar system in 2020. “It wasn’t the greatest investment,” she admitted. positive financial impact, he said. That’s despite the system, created by Tesla, costing him over $100,000. He eyed solar since he moved to the Valley in 2008, but SRP rates made it infea- sible to make the leap until saved up the capital for this totally off-the-grid system, he said. “It’s like price-gouging,” Youssef said of SRP’s rates for solar customers. “It’s not affordable for most Arizonans.” It “sounded like a nightmare” to commit to solar before he could afford to break up with SRP, he said. But Youssef loves solar. And he believes in it. He was excited to see last week’s federal court ruling against SRP and hopes, like Baker, that state legislators will begin mandating solar panels on new homes. “Arizona is one of the sunniest places in the world,” Youssef said. “It’s ludicrous that we don’t do more solar. Frankly, it’s insulting.” On the Horizon APS is making one local effort to add renewable energy to its portfolio. Officials at the Bureau of Land Manage- ment are reviewing three applications to put utility-scale solar energy projects on public ground in Maricopa County. The 1500 megawatt project split across three solar farms would be built just north of Gila Bend, northwest of the White Tank Mountains, and south of State Route 238 near the Pinal County line. If built, the solar projects “could supply large quantities of homes,” said Chris Wonderly, BLM’s spokesperson in its Phoenix office. On January 20, applicants heard the public’s cultural, economic, and ecological concerns. The largest of the three projects, West- ern Tiger Solar, would be operated by APS. Tom O’Halleran U.S. Representative Tom O’Halleran: “Over the last three or four years, I’ve seen a transformational change in the future for renewable energies. That’s our collective future.” “The comments received were neither for nor against any specific project,” Wonderly said. As such, the projects are expected to advance. The next step is yet another review pro- cess to determine if the projects are in line with environmental law, a process that could take two years. The projects all aim to be complete by the end of 2025. O’Halleran praised utility companies for their efforts to bolster clean energy. “Over the last three or four years, I’ve seen a transformational change in the future for renewable energies,” he said. “That’s our collective future.” But Gordon, the Mesa homeowner, sees APS snatching the freedom of solar energy from the hands of consumers. “They have figured out how to charge us,” she said. “We’re essentially trapped.” No one disputes this fact: Arizona is a solar gold mine. “Arizona is the state with the capacity to address large volumes of solar energy,” O’Halleran said. The open question is when Arizona will fully tap that vein of golden rays. Baker, the entrepreneur, foresees solar energy as the norm in just two or three years. The early adopter phase is over, and the abyss of, “Do I do it? Do I not?” is nearly over, he predicts. Soon, you’ll be the odd man out if you don’t have solar panels on your roof in the Valley. “One day, everyone will have solar,” Baker said. “But until it’s mandated, a lot of people aren’t going to do it.” Energy Innovation, a nonpartisan think tank, estimates federal policies pushing for 80 percent of American electricity to be r enewable would create tens of billions of dollars in solar projects in Arizona. Progressive legislators don’t want to wait for mandates. “We always need to think about not just today, but the future,” O’Halleran said. “Today’s investments will put us in a position to make us a leader in the world. And that includes solar panels.” FEB 17TH– FEB 23RD, 2022 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
