Latest Stories

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  County Fines AZ Solar Plant a Record $1.5M, but Pollution Is Expected to Continue

  September 29 at 11:57 a.m.

  Maricopa County officials expect toxic emissions from the $2 billion Solana concentrated-solar plant near Gila Bend to continue despite a record $1.5 million fine for air-quality violations. The fine was the latest embarrassment for the plant, which was was built by Spain's Abengoa Solar company with loan guarantees from the...

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  Solana Solar Plant's Poor Performance Gets Worse After July Microburst Damage

  September 22 at 1:28 p.m.

  The Solana Generating Station — the large concentrated-solar plant near Gila Bend — was knocked out by a microburst for a few days in late July and won't generate power normally for months, a new report reveals. The severe problem comes on top of generally poor performance from the $2...

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  We're No. 6! Sierra Club Names ASU One of Nation's Greenest Universities

  September 7 at 8:32 a.m.

  The 2,700 revelers who attended Arizona State University's most recent staff barbecue cast aside more than 580 pounds of soda bottles, plastic cutlery, leftover food, and other assorted trash. But less than .03 percent of that, or what Mick Dalrymple, ASU's director of sustainability practices, describes as "about half a bag," was actually...

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  Solar Settlement Talks Brokered by Governor Ducey Have Been 'Suspended'

  June 10 at 7:03 a.m.

  Settlement talks brokered by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey between a pro-solar group, lawmakers, and the state's largest utility have been halted for now. "They've been suspended," Kris Mayes, spokeswoman for the SolarCity-backed group, told New Times on Thursday. Mayes added that the suspension is effective immediately. "Unfortunately, that's all I can say."...

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  Credit Suisse Analyst: APS Plan Would Kill Off New Rooftop Solar Installations in Arizona

  June 10 at 6:01 a.m.

  A new Arizona Public Service rate plan would essentially kill off new solar installations by top companies Solar City, SunRun, and Vivant by next year, a Credit Suisse analyst said on Tuesday. The statements in a research report by analyst Patrick Jobin added to fears already voiced by the pro-solar...

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  Solar Impulse Airplane Leaves Phoenix, Heads East on Around-the-World Voyage

  May 12 at 11:22 a.m.

  A solar-powered airplane designed to bring attention to renewable energy departed from the Phoenix area early  this morning to continue its attempt at an around-the-world flight. The Solar Impulse 2 spent 10 days in the Valley after pilot André Borschberg landed to the cheers of a small crowd on May...