Arizona receives $710,000 grant to streamline solar installations, partners with SmartPower

The State of Arizona has been awarded nearly $710,000 as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative, which strives to get more solar on our nation’s rooftops.

The Initiative is a large-scale effort to make solar energy more accessible and affordable, and to accelerate domestic solar deployment nationwide. 

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer was pleased to announce the grant and how it expands the possibilities for Arizona to fulfill its role as a leader in solar adoption:

“Arizona is at the forefront of solar-energy development and expansion, and has even been dubbed the  'Solar King.’ This grant will be instrumental in making installation of solar panels faster, easier and less expensive for Arizona homeowners and businesses. As solar energy becomes more cost-efficient and widespread, Arizona is ready to capitalize on the quality jobs created by this promising industry.”

With this grant, the State of Arizona will work to reduce barriers to solar-energy installation by lowering costs and identifying best practices in finance, permitting and zoning. The state is moving toward voluntary, statewide uniformity in solar permitting, for example, and five jurisdictions will pursue adoption of an online system that will allow over-the-counter, same-day review of permits.

Brewer’s Office of Energy Policy team includes the following partner organizations: the City of Flagstaff, City of Phoenix, City of Tucson, Arizona State University’s Global Institute of Sustainability, and SmartPower.

The Arizona SmartPower team is proud to be a part of the SunShot Initiative and is eager to work with other Arizona organizations to make solar energy more accessible for homes and businesses.