Arizona needs more electricity. Population growth, advanced manufacturing, data centers and electrification are adding demand. How we meet that demand—and who pays for it—will have big consequences for public health.
Reliable electricity keeps air conditioners running during extreme heat. But reliability only helps if families can afford enough electricity to keep their homes safely cooled.
As utility bills take a bigger bite out of household budgets, families have less money for groceries, prescriptions and rent. Some turn down the cooling to save money. In Arizona, that can become a health and safety problem.
Solar & Storage Have an Important Role
Solar can help meet Arizona’s growing electricity needs without combustion air pollution, ongoing fuel purchases or the substantial cooling-water requirements of many thermal power plants.
Battery storage makes solar more useful by moving daytime electricity into the evening, when solar production drops but air conditioners keep running.
Utilities should compare the full costs of competing options, including generation, storage, transmission and reliability. And regulators need to make sure savings actually reach customers.
State policy matters too. Arbitrary restrictions can block otherwise suitable projects and narrow our options for meeting demand affordably.
That’s why I support the Governor and State Land Department’s consideration of prioritizing suitable state trust land for long-term utility-scale solar leases, while protecting trust beneficiaries.
Agrivoltaics deserves consideration too. Combining solar with compatible crops or grazing can preserve agricultural activity. University of Arizona research has found that panel shade can benefit some crops and improve water-use efficiency. The right design depends on the land and agricultural use.
Data Centers Should Pay the Costs They Cause
Approving a solar farm and approving a data center are different decisions. One supplies electricity. The other consumes it.
When a data center requires additional generating capacity, transmission or substations, residential customers shouldn’t subsidize the costs attributable to that facility.
Those protections need teeth: customer-specific charges, binding payment commitments, financial security and provisions covering cancellation or early closure.
What happens if the utility builds the infrastructure and the data center never opens? Who pays then?
If those costs land on household bills, the public health consequences reach far beyond the data center’s neighborhood.
Pima County’s public health review provides a useful framework for examining those broader consequences alongside water use, noise, air pollution and community vulnerability.
Responsible Siting Makes Development Better
Solar and battery projects have legitimate siting issues. Protect sensitive habitat. Manage dust and drainage. Consider nearby homes. Require enforceable decommissioning plans and financial assurance.
Battery projects also need appropriate separation, hazard analysis, emergency plans and coordination with local firefighters.
The policy goal is straightforward: expand affordable, reliable electricity while protecting nearby communities and household budgets.
I’ve pulled these issues together in a presentation for Arizona lawmakers. The PowerPoint is linked here: Clean Energy Candidate Education PowerPoint
