SAN FRANCISCO — Federal officials on Friday approved a plan that sets aside 445 square miles of public land for the development of large-scale solar power plants, cementing a new government approach to renewable energy development in the West after years of delays and false starts.

Salt River Project went live on a 19 megawatt solar plant in Queen Creek last week, raising the company’s retail electrical needs from renewable sources to 10 percent.

The outcome of next month’s race for the Arizona Corporation Commission will determine how much more solar and other renewable energy electric utility consumers will have to buy.

The outcome of next month's race for the Arizona Corporation Commission will determine how much more solar and other renewable energy electric utility consumers will have to buy.

Salt River Project (SRP) announced Monday it has reduced the proposed rate increase that its board of directors will vote on later this month.

SRP announced Monday it has reduced the proposed rate increase that its board of directors will vote on later this month.

Higley Unified School District’s governing board is opposing a planned 4.8 percent increase in electric rates by SRP, and is hoping other school districts take similar action.

How does geothermal energy captured near southern California’s Salton Sea help us here in the Valley of the Sun? You’d be surprised.

Even before construction has started on a solar energy farm in Queen Creek, the planned facility has been sold for $75 million.

When you think of Salt River Project, chances are you think no further than the light switch or utility bill. But behind the curtain there's a lot that goes into ensuring the lights come on when you flip that switch.

When you think of Salt River Project, chances are you think no further than the light switch or utility bill. But behind the curtain there's a lot that goes into ensuring the lights come on when you flip that switch.

WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Land Management Thursday banned new mining claims on 13,735 acres of land in Arizona, one of six Western states where the government is considering “solar-energy zones.”

State regulators are entitled to force utilities to generate a portion of their power from renewable sources, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled Thursday, even if it costs ratepayers more.

In a state known for its sunshine, installing solar panels makes sense for companies looking to ease energy bills and benefit the local environment - as long as they're willing to shoulder the cost.

The recent sight of road graders clearing old-growth Mojave Desert shrubs for the nation's first large-scale solar energy project on public land pained Phil Smith.

The outcome of this year's race for Arizona Corporation Commission could determine the future of nuclear power in Arizona.

Your life depends on the Corporation Commission.

The three Democrats running for the Arizona Corporation Commission said voters need to choose at least one of them to protect the push for more renewable energy.

Salt River Project has announced that construction is under way on its new geothermal power generation plant in Southern California.

The devastation from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill widened this week, as the federal government put up to 19 percent of the gulf off-limits to fishing -- and experts warned that the plume of oil could spread up the East Coast. The incident has prompted renewed debate about the safety and wisdom of oil production in environmentally sensitive areas.

With a solar manufacturing plant hanging in the balance, a Glendale Republican lawmaker has quietly dropped her bid to kill the requirement that utilities generate more of their power from renewable sources.

Ignoring threats by a company to pack up and leave, a House panel voted late Tuesday to overturn the renewable energy mandate on utilities by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Intel Corp. said Monday it will install rooftop solar panels at its Ocotillo and Chandler Boulevard complexes in Chandler as part of a companywide solar electric program.

Gilbert resident Alan Morgan never considered himself to be an especially “green” sort of person. But when he read about how Valley utilities were offering rebates to help customers afford rooftop solar energy systems, he decided to look into the possibility of installing a solar system on his home.