Arizona regulators approved a pair of incentive programs aimed at expanding residential energy storage use and community solar participation.
The Arizona Corporation Commission approved two-year plans filed by Tucson Electric Power and its sister company UniSource Energy Services. The plans were designed to comply with the state’s current renewable energy standard.
Tucson Electric won approval for its proposed annual budgets of $65.9 million for its 2021 and 2022 implementation plans under the state Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff (REST). The tariff was adopted in 2006 and requires state-regulated power companies to get at least 15% of their power from renewable sources by 2025.
The utility also won approval to expand its GoSolar Home community-based solar program. The program allows customers to pay a fee to buy power from a dedicated 5 MW photovoltaic solar facility and receive a fixed bill for up to 10 years. That program is fully subscribed at 841 participants, with about 500 on a waiting list, local news reports said.
Regulators approved extending the program to renters and and also expanding the facility supporting the program by 10 MW, a move that is expected to clear the waiting list.
