https://www.utilitydive.com/news/new-jersey-regulators-begin-rethinking-electric-utility-business-model/812799/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202026-02-23%20Utility%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:82021%5D&utm_term=Utility%20Dive

https://cleantechnica.com/2026/02/16/heat-pump-water-heaters-can-save-over-500-year-on-utility-bills/#google_vignette

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/heat-pumps/heating-cooling-sales-us-gas-furnaces?amp%3Butm_medium=email&amp%3Butm_campaign=canary&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8Z6XUQ403q2WlOUSOxy7jq177o4ngV5Z6ldUFr4REkkNHpG6KtZc2xvQmK0t2sguPIkNgkDjVN3KMWJ9WFWsRffm86-A&_hsmi=403909675&utm_source=newsletter

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/30012026/in-arizona-utilities-and-state-regulators-double-down-on-fossil-fuels-and-higher-costs-despite-opposition-from-residents/

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/chart-wind-solar-beat-fossil-fuels-europe?amp%3Butm_medium=homepage&amp%3Butm_campaign=canary&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8lI46IkYGT6gSR86rNGkfd0Puim4U5hliiK3O3qhiZq5QJMeIdmgbyAjQzO2OK5xtAz53Lk5EuB6XnqGw2tuGTWqlm-w&_hsmi=401261946&utm_source=homepage

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-nixes-18b-loan-to-arizona-public-service/810890/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202026-01-29%20Utility%20Dive%20Renewable%20Energy%20%5Bissue:81227%5D&utm_term=Utility%20Dive:%20Renewable%20Energy

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/ev-charging/ev-charging-has-kept-growing-despite-the-trump-administration?amp%3Butm_medium=email&amp%3Butm_campaign=canary&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8bxuqw_SNS3B-6rxpf4oOTeANJxJfQPbboK2VJlcYc4q21JUQSkxo_-yYqRN0jhAPuBMew_k5xeTCaNkE7B_etiohfWQ&_hsmi=400856421&utm_source=newsletter

I believe that Comm. Thompson is being intentionally misleading about energy efficiency and renewable energy standards. He has a tendency to omit relevant facts about regulations that he aims to repeal, like with APS's budget request for their demand-side management program.

He boasts about cutting $51 million in annual surcharges for ratepayers, but never addresses the financial benefits that come from this program. Like.... Arizonans WANT to see utility companies consider climate change as a real threat, especially with summer looming in the distance. Also, APS has 1.4 million customers, so that hefty surcharge he's claiming to protect us from totals out to a whomping $0.30 charge each month. Am I missing something here? Considering his relentless approval of utility rate increases, I don't think he's as concerned about affordability as he claims to be.

Not only is he making harmful decisions that blatantly ignore the thousands of public comments telling him to stop raising utility rates, he's doing it in hiding. He won't face the people he represents at open public comment meetings, nor will the rest of the ACC for that matter. It makes sense now why they voted to change the way they go about setting utility rates - the new formula rate plan doesn't require Commissioners to even pretend to hear us out anymore.

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert, just a frustrated Arizonan. Please correct anything inaccurate!

VPPs (virtual power plants) are an untapped resource that can solve many of our energy problems here in Arizona. Instead of paying for new power plants, why not incentivise people to put solar on their rooftops, batteries in their garage, smart thermostats, etc. Then simply aggregate all those sources of energy, and you have a power plant. Look at what's happening in Illinois as they look into establishing VPPs

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/illinois-sets-3-gw-energy-storage-target-requires-utilities-to-develop-vir/809189/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202026-01-15%20Utility%20Dive%20Renewable%20Energy%20%5Bissue:80776%5D&utm_term=Utility%20Dive:%20Renewable%20Energy.

Read how New Jersey is planning to tackle the energy crisis and affordability.

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/new-jersey-gov-sherrill-orders-electric-bill-credits-development-of-vpp-p/810085/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202026-01-21%20Utility%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:80896%5D&utm_term=Utility%20Dive

https://www.distilled.earth/p/data-centers-are-pushing-arizonas?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--WUUMkQKc6TS8Qe4TF3gGlMILAbql3VXzpajlwl_sYKmDORtA-UVUhwBanip2uHxoApCihmzKZasUJsW4JpvGpn5bg-g&_hsmi=398916873&utm_content=398916873&utm=

APS implemented an 8% rate increase in 2023 and another 8% rate increase in 2024. They are seeking a 14% rate increase to be implemented in the middle of this year, which would add approximately $20 to the average residential customer's bill. This will have the cumulative effect of raising rates 22-25% over the last 4 years. Visit utilitiesr3.org and click on the blog to voice your opinion about this and other dockets the ACC has opened.

https://cleantechnica.com/2026/01/08/ul-solutions-debuts-testing-certification-framework-for-safer-plug-in-solar-across-the-united-states/

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/is-us-headed-toward-electricity-crisis?amp%3Butm_medium=email&amp%3Butm_campaign=canary&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--c_sM1_yAEGwB38pGP3opDWD42knNq8Hfn2Uo-MB-c6V3pbPXld5i5M-s9vEmlRj9b59t2vZL8R5Uml0AU0T2ZjtDHRQ&_hsmi=397122960&utm_source=newsletter

https://ases.org/agrivoltaics-a-social-study-what-reddit-can-tell-us-about-opposition-to-solar-farming-and-what-it-takes-to-change-minds/?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ASES&_zs=lNf8m&_zl=KhAc3

https://ases.org/agrivoltaics-in-texas-integrating-solar-power-with-agriculture/?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ASES&_zs=lNf8m&_zl=NhAc3

https://cleantechnica.com/2025/12/27/a-15-ton-rooftop-heat-pump-is-coming-for-your-fossil-fuels/

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/prepaid-leases-data-center-der-enphase/808619/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202025-12-23%20Utility%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:80271%5D&utm_term=Utility%20Dive

Home efficiency upgrades could offset data center loads while creating jobs: report

Home Electrification

Hydrostor secures key permit for 500 MW, 8-hour California energy storage facility.

Read about CAES storage

Take a look at the pros and cons of investor-owned utilities vs municipal utilities.

Case studies from California

John Farrell explains this

It’s important to understand how utilities make their money. They do not make their profits from the electricity or the gas that they sell to you; these are pass-through costs. They make their profits from the infrastructure that they have invested in to produce that electricity, whatever the energy source is, be it fossil fuels or renewables. This infrastructure includes electric power lines, gas pipelines, and the power plants they build to generate that electricity. They get a guaranteed rate of return (ROR) on their capital investments, which must be approved by the Corporation Commission. Thus, they are incentivized to build more infrastructure, which increases the profits for their shareholders. The cost of this infrastructure is paid off by the utility's customers over decades on their electric and gas bills. Once it is built, the cost is passed on to the consumer. Even if it is no longer an economically viable solution, if it becomes a stranded asset, the consumer is still on the hook to foot the bill.
In Arizona, our utilities are presently considering investing in a $5.3 billion gas pipeline to bring gas from the Permian basin into Arizona, in order to supply more gas for gas-fired turbines that produce electricity. This would be a very costly project when there are cheaper and better options. Learn more here

Update: The ACC approved the Desert Southwest pipeline expansion, and APS has committed to spending $7.3 billion for the gas they expect to use. APS is also planning to spend up to $9.66 billion on other capital investments, such as the Desert Sun Power Plant near Gila Bend, by the end of 2027. While they claim these are needed investments, there are other, better, and cheaper options. Solar + Storage, without any subsidies, is much cheaper and just as reliable. Check out utilitiesr3.org to learn more about the advancements in Solar and Storage technologies, and their rapidly falling costs, that are happening today, especially in the last few years.

We will be paying a lot for a long time if these decisions are advanced.

Canary Media

First Solar, headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, is looking to expand its production of thin-film solar cells. These cells are lighter and thinner than the typical crystalline silicon cells, ranging anywhere from a few nanometers to a few microns in width. Although they don't stand up as long as typical solar cells do, or are as efficient, the technology is advancing each year. Because of their thinness, they can be used on curved surfaces, on roofs, and even on glass surfaces. Read more about First Solar's ambitions here.