Groundswell Capital provides low-interest loans for solar and HVAC systems, sewer, rain harvesting and more Lower-income communities are less likely to adopt rooftop solar systems, according to a Department of Energy study. As the demand for sustainable energy rises, a new program called Earthwise is paving the way for homeowners in Arizona to access eco-friendly home improvements like rooftop solar without the traditional financial burdens.

he nation’s first solar-powered cobalt processing facility will break ground next year in Yuma County, a $300 million project subsidized by a big federal investment in climate-friendly projects. The plan is one of two dozen projects underway in Arizona catalyzed by the Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Joe Biden in August 2022. The law set aside $370 billion to promote clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Salt River Project is providing financial support to two Tempe programs designed to conserve water. The utility recently announced a $10,000 annual contribution - $50,000 over five years - to support the city’s non-residential landscape conversion program and a similar contribution for Tempe’s cooling tower rebate program for non-residential customers. The landscape program offers an incentive for Tempe’s commercial water customers to convert to desert-friendly landscaping, according to an SRP release.

Our lives and economies run on energy—including energy sources powered by water. The southwestern United States is experiencing a significant increase in demand for both energy and water, driven by population growth and economic development. The demands are particularly evident in Arizona, where water availability is a critical issue with dry years outpacing wet years, ongoing drought and a long-term trend toward aridification.

Phoenix has released its first official Climate Action Plan Progress Report, outlining evidence of tangible headway on several deadly and costly climate challenges affecting the city, while lagging in results on others. The city shared the report exclusively with The Arizona Republic ahead of its publication on Wednesday. The 60-page document takes stock of what the city has accomplished toward goals outlined in its 2021 plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, bolster heat resilience and local food systems and expand clean energy, public transit, waste recycling and water conservation infrastructure in the nation's hottest and fifth-largest metropolis.

Members of Arizona’s Hopi tribe are set to benefit from an influx of over $6 million in federal funds meant to provide clean energy, authorities announced on Thursday. The Hopi Tribe is one of many communities that will receive millions through the latest round of funding coming from the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Tribal Electrification Program. The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) will give the Hopi Utilities Corporation a total of $6,060,459.

The Inflation Reduction Act has spurred more than $115B in clean energy manufacturing investment so far — and the project announcements just keep coming. A sodium-battery plant in North Carolina, a solar-panel manufacturing facility in New Mexico, and a factory building electric sports cars in Virginia are among the $2.4 billion worth of new U.S. clean energy manufacturing projects announced in August. These investments are just the latest in the ongoing, multibillion-dollar wave of clean energy manufacturing activity spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Coconino County’s planning commission has approved a wind farm to be built 25 miles north of Flagstaff. It’s the latest in a series of renewable energy projects in the region. The commission voted 4-2 to approve up to 100 turbines that are expected to reach 640 feet in the air. Morgan Schwenn is senior development manager for RWE, a Texas based independent power producer that already runs 3,000 turbines across 10 states.