APS is also working to advance solar-energy innovation in Arizona

When our friends at SRP announced a plan last week to reach 1,200 megawatts of large-scale solar by 2025, we at APS were pleased to see another step forward for Arizona’s solar leadership.

Unfortunately, Republic columnist Elvia Díaz felt the need to build SRP up by tearing APS down, and that’s neither fair nor accurate. (“SRP outsmarts APS with a brilliant solar power move,” Nov. 16.)

Our employees have worked hard to make APS No. 5 among all electricity companies in the U.S. for installed solar. Importantly, we achieved that while keeping rate increases less than the rate of inflation over the last 20 years.

APS already has more than 1,400 megawatts of solar in our service territory today.

That includes nine AZ Sun largescale solar plants, some that we are preparing to retrofit with advanced battery storage to take advantage of solar power after the sun sets.

It includes the Solana Generating Station, one of the largest solar-thermal plants in the world. It includes the Red Rock Solar Plant, built in partnership with our customers PayPal and Arizona State University, to help them achieve their clean-energy goals.

It will soon include one of the largest solar-storage projects in the nation, built in partnership with Arizona-based First Solar. And it includes the rooftop solar installed by more than 85,000 APS customers.

We say all this not to take anything away from SRP’s commendable announcement, but rather to set the record straight on the cheap shot from Ms. Díaz.

According to The Arizona Republic,

SRP plans to get 32 percent of its generation from clean sources. That’s terrific. Our energy mix today is already 50 percent clean, and will keep getting cleaner.

Belittling that accomplishment with such open derision is beneath Ms. Díaz and The Republic.

Daniel Froetscher is executive vice president of operations at APS. Reach him at daniel.froetscher@aps.com.