“Arizona’s Solar Strategic Plan” is the result of the Arizona Solar Leadership Conference, held in late September. The comprehensive plan outlines strategies to encourage all aspects of solar, from installations to manufacturing solar products within the state.

The plan was developed by Michelle De Blasi, Chair of the Solar Energy Legal Team at the Quarles & Brady law firm and Chair of the Arizona Energy Consortium (AEC).

“When I saw all the issues coming up, I thought we needed to get a plan together,” De Blasi said.

The conference drew a variety of solar players throughout the state, from companies, to policy advocates, to people from all levels of government, to determine how best to approach the issues, and to determine what the issues were, she said.

“The plan is the synthesis of the process,” De Blasi said.

If followed, the plan will help the state create more jobs, support economic development and energy self-sustainability. But it also seeks to make the state the national leader in solar.

The plan states: “This Strategic Plan proposes a series of recommended actions for specific initiatives that, if implemented successfully, could allow for the realization of Arizona’s vision of not just participating in, but owning the solar industry nationally.”

It addresses issues including what Arizona’s advantages are as well as the state’s barriers to becoming such a leader. Arizona was one of the states in the running for the new photovoltaic manufacturing plant that’s being built by General Electric in Colorado. When completed it will be one of the largest PV manufacturing plants in the U.S.

“That’s the point. Maybe if we had had a more strategic plan, we could have landed that plant,” De Blasi said.

It also identifies what the state’s solar opportunities are and how to strengthen the state’s solar industry. For instance, the plan could embrace a renewable portfolio standard like those in California and Colorado.

“There have been different conversations about whether or not to set a higher renewable energy standard for the state,” De Blasi said. “Regardless, there are issues we should move forward with.”

Ultimately, the plan will likely change how solar is approached in the state, partly through fully using what’s already available, but also with some new legislation.

“I’d like to utilize things we have in place already,” De Blasi said, Like finding better uses for some of the solar incentives and rebates already offered in the state. “Permitting aspects will probably need some legislation. I don’t want to create more laws just to create new laws.”

The AEC will move forward on implementing the plan.

“We will work with the entities to move forward with the issues,” De Blasi said.

But at this point, the AEC is still working on finding consensus on specific issues within the plan.

Image courtesy of AnSEIA.