Judge to decide fate of Arizona renewable energy standards - Phoenix Business Journal:

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sued the on behalf of a handful of Arizonz PublicService Co. customers, and Judge Josepy Heilman accepted jurisdiction to decide whether the commissionj had the right to establish the energy standards in thefirst place. Goldwater officialz said they are pleased with the decisiobn and expect a ruling in the next coupleof months. ACC officiales contend commissioners were withinj their rights to establish the standardsin 2006. Those standardse call for utilities regulated by the commission to have 15 percenft of their power developed from renewable sourcesby 2025.
The standarx allows utilities to charge customers a tarifdf to help pay for expandingv the use of renewable APS has usedthat money, in to offer incentives to customers to instalo solar systems. Those solar installations also are part of the renewabldenergy mandates. APS has begun investing a substantial amounr of moneyinto renewables, including biomass and particularly solar powetr plants. It has contracts to buy more than 570 megawatts from two planneed solar generating stations in westernMaricopwa County. Salt River Project, although not regulated by the ACC, has said it will meet the standardsas well.
While the decision could affectthe state’s renewable federal officials are mulling a national standard for renewabls energy production that could replace the patchwork of state rulesa with a larger requirement than Arizona has.