Renewable Energy

Mission

Arizona Sustainability Alliance approaches the Renewable Energy Priority in a hands-on manner. Instead of pure advocacy, we are applying sound research to the projects we focus on. Our objectives communicate our need to increase the use of renewable energy in Arizona in ways that make our organization stand out. In a state where the majority of energy is produced by non-renewable resources, it is our goal to demonstrate successful applications of renewable energy in the community.

Objectives

Current and Planned Projects

Arizona Clean Energy Workforce Development

This project focuses on accomplishing two essential tasks for the Arizona community: providing critical job skills to students from vulnerable communities and contributing to the global clean energy revolution. The Arizona Sustainability Alliance has partnered with Phoenix Union High School District (PXU), Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), the National Energy Education Development Project (NEED), G2 Energy Solutions, AES Defined, and other public and private partners to implement this program. This project will provide students with job skills in various clean energy sector pathways by partnering with Title I school districts, public and private partners, community colleges, and industry professionals.

Arizona needs to make smart investments in its most vulnerable populations to realize its potential as a clean energy leader. This project seeks to design and implement a highly cost-effective vocational training program that leverages industry, community colleges, and certification programs to develop high-quality clean energy professionals without the high price tag associated with the conventional career development route. The project will focus on creating workforce development training in the following areas:

1. Energy Management
2. Building Science
3. Distributed Energy Resources Installation and Maintenance
4. Adaptive Design for Resilience

Agrivoltaics

This project will partner with Arizona State University and Maya’s Farm in Phoenix, AZ. According to Hoen (2011), Dinesh & P. Barron-Gafford et al. 2019, Dupraz et al. (2010), growing food under photovoltaic installations (agrivoltaics) can save farmers valuable financial resources, increase their value, protect their crops, reduce energy use, and protect valuable natural resources necessary to sustain and grow farming operations while maintaining and improving crop health. This innovative, collaborative research program will build upon existing research and provide valuable data and insights into the benefits of agrivoltaic installations for farmers and researchers. Unlike previous studies, this research will focus on the benefits of agrivoltaic installations on organic farms, specifically urban organic farms. Building upon Barron-Gafford et al. (2019), this research will investigate how agrivoltaics affects soil moisture, health, and biology on urban organic farms.

Past Projects

Planting Solar Documentary: Sustainable Agriculture and Renewable Energy

This documentary will delve into the challenges of being a sustainable urban farmer in Arizona, highlighting the often neglected role of a farm’s energy source. Through interviews with Maya Dailey of Maya’s Farm and key urban farmers around Arizona, this documentary seeks to illuminate the importance of supporting our local food system.

Maya’s Farm Solar Installation 

Maya Farms is a sustainable farm off the grid looking to power a walk-in refrigerator, air conditioning, washing machine, and electricity for an office in its shipping container. AZSA provides the resources to design and install solar panels and a battery storage system at the farm. This project will allow for research on growing food underneath solar panels (agrivoltaics).

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