Arizona loses solar plant to New Mexico - Phoenix Business Journal:

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The loss comes as the puts the full-courtr press on industry leaders and lawmakers to prepared for the nextlegislativw session, which begins Jan. 12. GPEC’s goal is to even the playinyg field with other states to make Arizona more competitivr for these types of Signet chose Albuquerqueon Dec. 16 for its new which will create up to 600 manufacturing jobs tobuilc thin-film solar panels. “Even in these difficul t times, there are states that have a lot of good saidBarry Broome, GPEC president and CEO. The deal will locat e Menlo Park, Calif.-based Signet’s facility next to Schotgt Solar Inc., another company Arizona lost to New Mexicol earlierthis year.
Arizona’s neighbord has become increasingly aggressive in courtingsolatr companies, and GPEC is pushing for legislatiob to create incentives to lure those Last week, the council brought in a trio of solaf industry experts to analyze what is neede to bring the Valley to the same leve as other states that have made solar a All things being equal, it is about the incentives, said Peter Green, president and CEO of .
“You’vd got to have something that differentiatesw you, and then you stanr out,” said Green, whose company is based in As part ofthe group’s effort to garner more supportg for its plan to attract solare manufacturing to the state, Broome moderated a discussion at the Greaterr Phoenix Chamber of Commerce’s energgy conference last week. This week, he moderatex a solar roundtable forCoreNet Global’x Desert Mountain Chapter. A late push was made for sola r endeavors in the 2008 legislative but no bills were Supporters are putting on the pressurw as the newyear approaches.
Arizona has come out on the shortf end of several deals in recentyears — losingv to primarily to states that have similar labor poolsx and amenities, but provide incentives that tip the balance. The thres industry representatives said Phoenix could become a major playee because it has a work force rooted in the semiconductor industry and ArizonaState University, whichj has an international solar testing But going against a state such as which offers a 50 percent tax credit, makesx Arizona’s case more said Dick Sheehy, director of advanced planning for , an Colo.
-based energy construction and design The state has options, said Erik director of the Arizona, New Mexico and Texaz markets for One method is to create solar manufacturingb incentives, he said — placing greater renewable-energ y requirements on utilities, for example. A stronger commitmenty could be a bonus if companies knew theitr product would bein demand. Ellis said the best way to ensur e facilities get built would be to structurea feed-ij tariff, guaranteeing new renewable energuy projects a certain revenue streamk from utilities — but that would be a tougg sell during a recession.
The Legislature also could dedicat e more funds for the ArizonaCorporation Commission’s staff to begihn designating land for solar power generation and new transmissio lines, Ellis said. “Unless there are competenr people focusing on this at amultiyeaf level, we’re going to miss this opportunitt to become a major exporter of solad power,” he said. Advent Solar: CH2M Ausra Inc.
: Greater Phoenix Economic