Mayes discusses Arizona Solar Summit on PBS

Kris Mayes, faculty director of the Program on Law and Sustainability, appeared on Channel 8’s Horizon, March 13, to discuss the College of Law’s upcoming Arizona Solar Summit.

“The conference is designed to look at what we’re doing now on a policy level and what we need to be doing going forward,” Mayes said.

It will be held at the Arizona Biltmore on March 26-27. For details and to register, visit law.asu.edu/solarsummit2012.

Mayes said that “most Arizonans think we ought to be a leader in solar energy given the amount of sun we get.” Opinion polls show 80 to 85 percent of people believe that the state should pursue it, she said.

Opposition comes from a small subset of Republicans in the legislature who are opposed to mandates, Mayes said, but the vast majority of their constituents think they’re wrong.

She said utility companies are supporters and are “advocating as loudly as anybody for solar energy in the state.”

“Companies like Arizona Public Service and Tucson Electric have become leaders in this area in the last five years,” Mayes said.

Mayes hopes that in the future, Arizona will be seen as a regional hub for utility-scale solar and a place where the independent spirit of Arizona results in 75 percent of all homes being solarized. Mayes wants Arizona to be a leader of solar energy in the region and across the globe.

To watch the video, click here.

Mayes, who has a Masters of Public Policy from Columbia University and a J.D. from the College of Law, served on the Arizona Corporation Commission from 2003 to 2010.