Go Solar in Arizona; Arizona Goes Solar in 2011!

"It Just Makes Good Sense to Go Solar in Arizona!"

Welcome to the "Go Solar in Arizona" initiative website. Our mission is to work with the Arizona Governor, Arizona Department of Commerce, the Arizona Department of Energy, the Arizona State Legislature's Energy Committee, the Arizona Corporation Commission, Utility Companies, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and City Mayors to promote energy efficiency, solar thermal water heaters and solar power to make Arizona the Solar Capital of America.

The purpose of the "Go Solar in Arizona" website is to show residents and businesses in Arizona how to work with local government officials to migrate their communities away from carbon-based fuel to clean green solar power by building Energy Efficient Solar Homes and Businesses.

Our first event was held in Gilbert, Arizona. See the details below:

Gilbert Goes Solar with
Arizona's First Solar Town Hall Meeting

Call Robert Hoskins at 602-326-0940 to set up a Solar Town Hall Meeting in your city, town or community!

Gilbert residents are invited to attend Gilbert's first free Solar Town Hall Meeting on Monday, February 22nd at 6:30 pm at the Maricopa's Southeast Regional Library located at 775 North Greenfield Road at Guadalupe Road in Gilbert.

Mayor John Lewis will be hosting a Solar Panel Discussion featuring subject matter experts on energy efficiency, solar water heaters, solar power systems and utility rebate/federal/state tax credit programs that will help Gilbert residents pay for up to 75% of equipment and installation costs.

Gilbert Solar Town Hall Speakers will include:

Each panel member will give a 10-minute power point presentation on how their system works and how much it will reduce residents' energy bills. Each presentation will be followed by a question and answer session that will allow residents to ask questions.

"The purpose of the Gilbert Solar Town Hall Meeting is to educate residents and businesses in Gilbert on the benefits of harnessing solar power and teach them how to make smart purchase decisions," said Mayor Lewis. "As one of the fastest growing communities in America, we want to provide an example for other communities to follow by reducing energy consumption as much as possible and by harnessing our town's abundant supply of free solar energy and harnessing it to heat water and produce clean electricity."

Saving money, reducing consumption and using renewable energy also will enable every resident in Gilbert to save money on their monthly electricity bills. Utility rates rarely decrease and even with only a small 3% electricity rate increase every year, monthly electric bills will double by the year 2035.

Most Arizona residents and businesses are not aware that utility companies such as APS and SRP provide hundreds of millions of dollars in rebates to customers that invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

APS provides a $3-per-watt rebate, while SRP provides a slight lower rate of $2.70-per-watt rebate. Arizona offers a $1,000 tax credit and the Federal Government offers a 30% tax credit/grant. Combined these incentives will pay up to 75% of a renewable energy project's total cost.

Residents are encouraged to bring a copy of their electric bill to the meeting where vendors will be on hand to provide free quotes on how much a solar system would cost for their household.

Exhibitor List:

Want to become a solar advocate in your community? Click on the links below to learn how.

Begin a Go Solar Community Outreach program in your community
Begin a Go Solar Training program to build a professional solar installation workforce
Begin a Go Solar Business Planning service to help entrepreneurs start new solar companies
Begin a Go Solar Small Business Administration program to direct business to stimulus loans and grants
Begin a Go Solar Career Placement service to help people find solar jobs
Begin a Go Solar Cooperative Marketing program create a large advertising budget for the solar industry
Begin a Go Solar Advertising/Public Relations campaign to educate customers on the benefits of:

Building Energy Efficient Solar Homes to Reduce Consumption
Using the Sun's Energy to Heat Hot Water for Free
Using the Sun's Energy to Create Free Clean Electricity

Begin a Go Solar Finance program that creates solar energy districts and arranges financing to pay for residential and business customers out-of-pocket costs
Begin a Solar Scout Real Estate program that educates realtors on how to identify good solar rooftops the process of applying for a 203K Energy Efficiency Loans or SBA Energy Efficiency Business Loan
Begin a Go Solar Economic Development program to help cities and town secure stimulus money to market solar energy, create demand for solar products and services, inject money into the economy for a worthy cause, and create jobs for 10,000 people in Arizona and get rid of the dark smog cloud hanging over Arizona
Begin a Go Solar Building program that requires all structures in Arizona to require energy efficiency measures, solar water heaters and solar PV systems
Begin a Streamlined Go Solar Permit, Installation and Bonus program to make it easy and attractive for builders to build energy efficient solar homes
Begin a Go Solar Technical Assistance program to educate people on solar technologies and proper installation techniques
Begin a Go Solar Town Hall Meeting Series that allows elected officials to speak to their constituents about the benefits of using the sun's energy instead of coal/gas to create electricity that does not pollute
Begin participating in the Arizona Corporation Commission's public proceedings to support a Arizona Solar Feed-in Tariff that will make solar attractive enough for investors to invest heavily in Arizona's solar goldmine

The Go Solar in Arizona initiative is seeking solar advocates club in Ahwatukee, Apache Junction, Avondale, Bisbee, Buckeye, Bullhead City, Casa Grande, Cave Creek, Chandler, Chino Valley, Coolidge, Cornville, Cottonwood, El Mirage, Flagstaff, Florence, Fort Huachuca, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Glendale, Golden Valley, Goodyear, Green Valley, Higley, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Laveen, Litchfield Park, Marana, Maricopa, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Payson, Peoria, Phoenix, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Queen Creek, Safford, Sahuarita, Scottsdale, Sedona, Sierra Vista, Sun City, Sun City West, Surprise, Tempe, Tolleson, Tucson, Vail, Yuma, and many other cities and towns throughout Arizona.

Why Go Solar in Arizona?

5 Steps to Create an Energy Efficient Solar Home in AZ

What Solar Incentives Are Available in Arizona?

Want to Go Solar in Your Community?

AZCC Public Policy:

Real World Installation Videos

Go Solar in Arizona; Arizona Goes Solar in 2011!

"It Just Makes Good Sense to Go Solar in Arizona!"

More Links to Learn about Solar: