SRP鈥檚 Healthy Forest Initiative (HFI), a partnership between SRP and the U.S. Forest Service to strategically thin 500,000 acres of overgrown forests by 2035, is getting a helping hand from Terracon, an engineering consulting firm that operates in all 50 states.

The forest thinning in the HFI will aid the watersheds found in the 8.3 million acres of forest in northern and eastern Arizona.

Terracon has donated $10,000 to HFI, becoming the first commercial customer to contribute to do so.

鈥淭erracon has been fortunate to have profitable operations in Arizona for nearly 30 years,鈥� Terracon Senior Client Development Manager Chuck Reynolds . 鈥淚n this season of giving, we wanted to impact our community in the broadest, most sustainable way possible.鈥� 

SRP says it appreciates the contribution to the important effort to improve the health of forests and watersheds.

鈥淲e are grateful for Terracon taking action to invest in the protection and restoration of forests, and we invite other Arizona businesses to partner with SRP on important forest restoration projects,鈥� SRP Forest Health Management Principal Elvy Barton . 鈥淣ot only is this important to the Valley鈥檚 water supply, but it鈥檚 also critical to the state鈥檚 tourism industry for the beautiful forests of northern Arizona and helps protect the residents who live there.鈥�

Arizona鈥檚 environment has experienced heavy damage from wildfires and water depletion. Wildfires can induce in the ecosystem that can put the land and several species at risk. There has been an accumulation of damage that the soil has been unable to recover from, resulting in that prohibit the soil from absorbing water and nutrients and making the soil susceptible to erosion. 

鈥淭here is no ‘wildfire season’ anymore in Arizona. Fires can happen year-round. We stress the importance of prevention,鈥� according to the . 鈥淲e all need to work together to reduce wildfire risk across our great state.鈥� 

In 2020 alone, a total of burned nearly 980,000 acres of land throughout the state. In the last 20 years, wildfires have burned through 3.2 million acres of land surrounding the Salt and Verde River and East Clear Creek , which are areas of land that channel snowmelt and rainfall into streams and rivers. Watersheds are an important water supply source for Arizona.

In northern Arizona, should support an average of 100 trees per-acre, but unhealthy forestation has resulted in many of these lands supporting thousands of trees. 

The State Fire Assistance under the Department of Forestry and Land Management divides the forest landscape into what are known as firesheds and watersheds. These two are conceptually the same and are used to mark land that is particularly at risk from potential forest fires. 
鈥淕iven that it is impossible to treat all of the hazardous fuels across a landscape, the identification and prioritization of the most critical and beneficial hazardous fuels to treat is critical,鈥� according to the National Fireshed Assessment

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In an effort to reduce disparities between the haves and have-nots when it comes to solar energy, Arizona utility regulators approved a measure that could increase solar energy projects in low-income multifamily housing. 

members unanimously approved a proposal by Arizona Public Service (APS) to allow for 鈥渕aster metering鈥� for solar power at low-income multi-family housing. Under previous rules, utilities and developers were limited in their ability to use master metering, which involves measuring the electric usage of multiple tenants with the same meter. 

The goal is to increase solar in Arizona and open up more options for neighborhoods where renewable energy is scarce, said Chairwoman Lea M谩rquez Peterson.

鈥淚 was proud to put this on the agenda for the commission鈥檚 discussion and vote. It鈥檚 the next step for solar energy in Arizona,鈥� M谩rquez Peterson said.

APS and commissioners want to spur more solar power in multi-unit housing within the utility鈥檚 service territory that primarily leases to lower-income or very low-income residents as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Public Housing Program. 

Regulators hope to encourage solar in underserved neighborhoods 

The new measure shifts the financial incentive to conserve energy from tenants to property owners and property managers. While property owners would foot the bill for solar installation, in the long run it could benefit both owners and tenants with lower energy costs, commissioners said. Meanwhile, tenants would still be in full control of their own thermostats. 

Ultimately, it could allow landlords to provide low-income housing to more residents at a lower cost, M谩rquez Peterson said.

Solar typically limited to white, higher-income households

Low-income residents have largely been left out of the increase in solar energy, whether rooftop or community solar projects, research shows. Solar subscribers in the U.S. typically have been higher-income households or are businesses, universities and government agencies.

Less than half of U.S. community solar projects have any participation from low-income households. Of projects that do include lower-earning families, only about 5 percent involve a sizable share, or more than 10 percent, according to a November 2018 survey by the nonprofit .   

On average, Black- and Hispanic-majority census tracts have significantly fewer rooftop solar projects than white-majority or no-majority census tracts, according to an analysis published in . 

States and utilities taking steps to reduce inequities

To address the inequities, states and utilities have been instituting programs to push for more solar policies to help lower- and middle-income households. 

At least a dozen states and Washington, D.C. have developed financial incentives and pilot programs to make it easier for low-income participants to access shared solar, according to the , a national nonprofit coalition of public agencies and organizations working together to advance clean energy. 

Arizona now ranked fourth in nation for solar 

Meanwhile, Arizona is ranked fourth in the nation for solar powered electricity generation, according to a report by the. Arizona鈥檚 big utilities 鈥� like APS, Salt River Project (SRP) and Tucson Electric Power 鈥� are behind the ranking as they invest in renewable energy infrastructure and programs including rooftop solar, solar plants and community solar projects. 

SRP doubling its solar commitment 

In that vein, announced this week that it plans to more than double its 2025 utility-scale solar commitment to add a total of 2,025 megawatts (MW) of new utility-scale solar energy to its power system by the end of fiscal year 2025, driven in part by dedicated customer demand for new renewables. 

This is more than 1,000 MW beyond SRP’s original 2025 commitment of 1,000 MW, announced in November 2018. As part of this 1,025 MW solar increase, 450 MW is enabled by an SRP commercial customer to meet its renewable energy commitments. 

“Doubling solar purchases over the next four years supports our shared goals with our customers to be as proactive as possible to reduce our collective carbon footprint while maintaining our reliability and affordability,” said Mike Hummel, SRP’s CEO and general manager.

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Two of Arizona鈥檚 biggest power utilities have been giving back to the community鈥檚 most underserved members in the form of solar energy.

Arizona Public Service (APS) and Salt River Project (SRP) have each started programs to bring solar energy to the people 鈥� and charity organizations 鈥� who need it most.

As part of its Solar Communities program, APS donated enough solar panels to cover 144 spaces in the main parking lot for St. Vincent de Paul, a global nonprofit organization whose Phoenix chapter serves the Valley鈥檚 homeless population.

鈥淭he Solar Communities program enables limited- and moderate-income residential customers as well as non-residential customers such as Title 1 schools, rural governments and nonprofits to participate in clean energy while receiving a bill credit for their support,鈥� said Tammy Kasprowicz, Solar Communities project manager

St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) applied to be a part of the Solar Communities program and met all the requirements, she said.

鈥淪t. Vincent de Paul and many other incredible organizations benefiting our community will be further supporting their communities by helping to provide renewable, clean energy to the community around them while benefiting from a bill credit that they can then apply to the resources they currently offer,鈥� Kasprowicz said.

Energy harvested by the 鈥� which generates enough power to run 86 homes per day 鈥� significantly reduces energy costs for the charity, sending savings back to programs that help people in need, according to SVdP.

鈥淲e are so thrilled and so grateful for this project,鈥� said Steve Zabilski, executive director of SVdP in Phoenix. 鈥淭his is literally a million-dollar project for APS, and with our focus on serving economically-challenged families, we could never have afforded such an investment.鈥�

APS is Arizona鈥檚 largest public utility, with more than 1.4 gigawatts of solar energy available to customers today. APS predicts that renewable energy sources, including solar, will grow from 12 percent to 18 percent of the company鈥檚 overall energy mix over the next 15 years.

has also made serving the community a primary mission. The Tempe-based utility鈥檚 鈥淪olar for Nonprofits鈥� program helps charitable organizations reduce their energy costs by providing and installing solar panel systems.

鈥淣onprofits serve the communities and our customers, and SRP is committed to providing programs that help our communities thrive,鈥� said Dan Dreiling, director of customer programs at SRP.

Since 2007, the program has completed 49 solar system installations, helping nonprofits save more than $600,000 collectively while providing green, emission-free energy for their buildings, according to SRP.

Earlier this month, the company announced it has donated solar systems to three Valley nonprofits: A New Leaf, which provides shelter and resources to homeless youth, domestic abuse victims and others who are struggling; Arizona Humane Society, a no-kill that takes in abused and abandoned pets; and the Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center (AAEC), an early college high school system that partners with community colleges that offers students the chance to earn college-transferable credits while completing high school classes.

鈥淎t SRP, we believe in giving back to the community, and we do that in a number of ways through contributions and employees who volunteer in the community,鈥� Dreiling said.

Principal Eric Stevens said he considered the solar panels to be a 鈥済reat opportunity鈥� for the school.

鈥淎ny money saved as a part of lowering our energy consumption will go into broadening and enhancing educational opportunities for our students,鈥� he said.

SRP鈥檚 Solar for Nonprofits program is funded by SRP and its customers, who can opt-in to contribute as little as $3 a month.

鈥淭his is a great partnership with our customers who contribute to the program, and an impactful way to invest in green energy while helping nonprofit agencies direct more funds to the communities they serve,鈥� Dreiling said. 鈥淭he program supports our commitment to investing in Arizona-produced, solar energy projects that also benefit the nonprofit arena.鈥�

According to the Arizona Humane Society, the savings from the solar installation at the organization鈥檚 Nina Mason Pullman Campus for Compassion could be used to help treat 530 orphaned, newborn kittens or 220 puppies and dogs in need of treatment for Parvovirus.

鈥淭he impact that the savings from the solar installation will have on hundreds of the Valley鈥檚 most vulnerable animals is truly lifesaving,鈥� said Dr. Steven Hansen, president and CEO of the Arizona Humane Society. 鈥淭hese funds will ensure that the efforts taking place in critical medical areas such as AHS鈥� trauma hospital, Parvo Puppy ICU and newborn kitten nursery will go even further to save the lives of pets who are not often given a second chance in other shelters.鈥�

A New Leaf CEO Michael Hughes said he was thrilled when he learned that SRP would be donating solar panels, calling the project 鈥渋nnovation with a heart.鈥�

Dreiling said SRP plans to continue the Solar for Nonprofits program, promoting the cause to attract new customers who may be interested in participating.

As for APS, SVdP served as the inaugural nonprofit construction and installation site for the Solar Communities program, which will continue to partner with established Arizona nonprofits to provide solar-generating parking panels.

The project began in February 2019, coordinated by SVdP Senior Advisor Steve Gervais. The panels were fully installed, wired to the grid and generating solar energy by June.

鈥淚t was an honor for St. Vincent de Paul to be selected as the first site under the APS Solar Communities program for nonprofits in Arizona,鈥� Gervais said. 鈥淏y any standard, this was no small project.鈥�

Kasprowicz said APS is committed to helping solar energy expand as a resource for Arizona.

鈥淲e are advancing Arizona鈥檚 solar leadership while providing safe, reliable and increasingly clean energy to our more than 1.2 million customers,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n addition to expanding access to solar for customers statewide, our Solar Communities program is helping to maintain solar jobs in Arizona, which benefits the state鈥檚 economy.鈥�

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