Critics: Bill Puts Solar Companies, Jobs at Risk

PHOENIX - A bill is working its way through the state legislature that could have a major impact on Arizona's solar industry. The bill's sponsor says it protects people from higher energy bills, but several solar companies say that if this bill passes, they will pull out of Arizona -- taking hundreds of jobs with them.

The lawmaker behind the bill says the state is putting too much money behind solar energy, and the average utility customer is footing the bill.

But critics say if the bill is passed, it would pull the plug on the solar industry in Arizona and hundreds of jobs will be lost.

"I don't understand why in a recession-type economy, if something is actually being successful, they'd want to squash it," says Mike Fricker with Salt River Solar and Wind. "I don't think they realize the impact."

"Think about our solar-electric system, that's 50 percent of our installation costs," says Clint Taylor from AZ Solar Concepts. "Without the tax credit, it would cost a lot. Without that incentive, it would put solar back, way more expensive."

Two valley solar installation companies say the bill would kill business for them. The measure would scale back existing requirements that requires our state get 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources in the coming decades. They say the bill would get rid of rebates to install solar panels on homes and businesses, and that means fewer clients.

Rep. Debbie Lesko, the sponsor behind the bill, says she is not anti-solar. "The legislature is not going to put the solar industry out of business. My vision is that the entire state will have a diverse mix of energy we can actually export to other states, but we do so at a cost that is reasonable to utility customers."

Suntec Power Holdings was planning to open a factory in Goodyear and hire 70 people. The company has said that if this measure passes, they will find a more solar-friendly locale.

So far, the bill has cleared one committee.