Arizona becoming leader in renewable energy

Renewable energy and especially solar power, is catching on fast in Arizona. The BLM has identified 237,000 acres for possible renewable energy use and business leaders say the move to renewables is unstoppable.

The sun shines 300 days a year, and there’s plenty of wind too. As is true elsewhere, much of energy in Arizona is from coal. It is also an exporter of energy, as coal plants on Native American land help power Los Angeles and other areas. But new mandates for coal plants mean that large sums of money will need to be spent to upgrade them to cleaner standards. At some point it becomes more cost-effective to invest in clean energy rather than try to retrofit aging dirty energy plants.