PHOENIX, AZ–(Marketwire – Aug 1, 2011) – An Arizona political action committee (http://www.GoSolarinArizona.com) announced today that the group has filed a citizen’s initiative with the Arizona Secretary of State that seeks to place the “Go Solar in Arizona” initiative on the Arizona 2012 Ballot to offer voters a chance to vote yes for more solar.
If passed, the measure would provide a streamlined statewide solar incentive program with no waiting lines and uniform solar tax incentives for the entire state of Arizona. The program would provide a solar tax incentive of up to $2.25 per watt, which is higher than utility companies in Arizona. When coupled with a $1.35 per watt federal tax credit customers would be able to pay for 80% of their solar installation’s cost with tax credits. This would create a surge in solar system demand, which would result in a repeat of the solar economic boom that occurred in Arizona during 2009.
From 2009 to 2010 the solar industry grew from 15-20 solar installation companies to more 300+ solar startups that created more than 4,000 solar industry jobs, which are now in danger of being lost.
In return for the tax credit, recipients would sign over their SREC credits to the state of Arizona, which can sell the SRECs to utility companies such as APS and TEP that need SRECs to meet Arizona’s Renewable Energy Standard (RES) requirements. SRECs can also be sold to corporations such as Google and News Corp. that are seeking to offset their carbon footprint.
SREC revenue would fund 100% of the solar tax credit program’s cost without raising taxes or electricity bills and possibly create a new revenue stream for Governor Jan Brewer and the Arizona Department of Commerce that could be used to fund state programs.
The “Go Solar in Arizona” is expected to be very popular with voters that are frustrated by shrinking solar rebates and the long waiting lines at most electric utility companies. Despite the difficulties at the utility companies the demand for solar is very strong among voters. An amazing 91% of Arizona voters surveyed said that they would pay more per month to support solar installations. Approximately 84% of SRP customers and 75% of APS customers expressed agreement with the idea that the time is now to start transitioning from coal to cleaner sources of energy. (Source: www.westerncec.org)
Support for solar is very strong because it saves a typical family with a 5-kilowatt solar power array more than $1,000 per year on their electric bills. And with enough residential distributed energy installations, solar would offset more than $3 billion worth of utility fuel costs, power purchases, line losses and operating expenses over the next 15 years, which could be passed onto all ratepayers instead of continuously raising Arizona electricity rates. (Source: http://files.meetup.com/1073632/RW-Beck-Report.pdf)
Solar advocates who want to build a thriving Arizona solar industry are encouraged to help the group raise $1.2 million dollars needed collect 172,800 signatures over the next 12 months. The price to collect 10 signatures is $15. Please donate if you want to save money on your future electric bill and provide the incentives needed to continue building a booming solar industry in Arizona.
If you can’t donate money, please call Robert Hoskins at 602-326-0940 to volunteer to setup a signature collection table at your local library, motor vehicle division location and/or neighborhood HOA solar signature collection event. Volunteers will be taught how to register voters and collect valid voter signatures. They will also receive support from a solar PR firm to generate free publicity to raise awareness among voters for their signature tables times and locations. The more signatures collected by volunteers, the less money the group will needed to raise for signature collection firms.