Arizona’s largest electricity provider and national business group work with companies to identify and evaluate technologies to meet clean energy goals
PHOENIX and WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 13, 2020 – Today, Arizona Public Service (NYSE: PNW) and national business organization Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) announced Arizona Clean Energy Future, a joint project to develop solutions to help APS achieve its ambitious goals for clean energy and support electrification of the transportation sector.
The Arizona Clean Energy Future project involves 13 AEE member companies representing a range of advanced energy technologies and services working with APS to explore and evaluate innovative clean energy ideas and prioritize those that will be most beneficial for APS customers, the Phoenix metropolitan area and the broader region.
“APS is not new to collaborating with stakeholders to pursue opportunities and tackle challenges, but this particular process with Advanced Energy Economy is a new approach for us,” said Jeff Guldner, APS Chairman and CEO. “Working with AEE gives us direct access to the expertise and vision of industry leaders across a wide range of innovative, clean energy technologies. This project will focus on identifying the possibilities now in order to advance those that can be developed into the real solutions of the future for serving customers with 100% clean energy and supporting decarbonization of Arizona’s transportation sector.”
“Arizona Public Service has put itself in a leading position in the quest for 100 percent clean energy,” said Nat Kreamer, CEO of Advanced Energy Economy. “AEE is proud to help connect APS with the companies pioneering the technologies that can help them get there. Working together, utility and industry can develop the systemic solutions that provide clean electricity and clean transportation for Arizona.”
Last month, APS announced a goal to deliver 100% clean, carbon-free electricity to its customers by 2050. APS set nearer-term targets of reaching 65% clean energy by 2030, with 45% coming from renewable energy. APS also plans to end all coal-based generation by 2031, seven years sooner than previously projected.
Through Arizona Clean Energy Future, APS is pioneering a new approach to modernizing the electric power system. It is tapping into AEE’s vast network to engage external industry experts to help imagine, evaluate and implement solutions for providing safe, reliable, affordable electricity from carbon-free resources, as well as supporting a transition to electric vehicles. This ground-breaking initiative can potentially serve as a model for other utilities to identify solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve grid resilience and better engage customers.
Arizona Clean Energy Future brings APS together with AEE and 13 of AEE’s member companies to gain additional insight into the capabilities of new and emerging clean energy technologies and services and how they can all work together to meet the electric power needs of the future. The effort is led by AEE Senior Managing Director Lisa Frantzis with participating member companies Arcadia, EnergyHub, EVgo, Form Energy, Highland Electric Transportation, Landis+Gyr, Modern Energy, NuScale Power, Pattern Energy, Recurve, Siemens, sPower, and Uplight.
Through working groups focused on electrifying transportation, grid flexibility, expanding low-carbon generation capacity and maximizing clean energy use, APS experts and industry representatives will identify the most promising solutions for near-term and longer-term use. The jointly developed ideas will be tested in pilots or incorporated into APS filings such as Integrated Resource Plans, Demand Side Management Plans, and Renewable Energy Standards.
About APS:
APS serves nearly 1.3 million homes and businesses in 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties, and is a leader in delivering affordable, clean and reliable energy in the Southwest. The company is committed to serving customers with 100% clean power by 2050. As owner and operator of Palo Verde Generating Station, the nation’s largest producer of carbon-free electricity, and with one of the country’s most substantial renewable energy portfolios, APS’ current energy mix is 50% clean. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW).
About AEE:
Advanced Energy Economy is a national association of businesses that are making the energy we use secure, clean, and affordable. Advanced energy encompasses a broad range of products and services that constitute the best available technologies for meeting energy needs today and tomorrow. AEE’s mission is to transform public policy to enable rapid growth of advanced energy businesses. Engaged at the federal level and in more than a dozen states around the country, AEE represents more than 100 companies in the $238 billion U.S. advanced energy industry, which employs 3.5 million U.S. workers. Learn more at www.aee.net, track the latest news @AEEnet.
Media Contacts:
AEE: Monique Hanis, mhanis@aee.net, 202-391-0884
APS Media: 602-250-2277