Correcting the Record: Renewable Energy Lowers Costs for Arizonans

Phoenix, AZ – On Monday, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright addressed a gathering of oil and gas executives at CERAWeek in Houston, the nation’s largest annual assembly of energy officials. As reported in The New York Times, Mr. Wright extolled the necessity of U.S. oil and gas production and dismissed renewable sources, asserting that scaling up renewable energy production is neither viable nor cost-effective.

In reality, renewable sources are an essential component of energy generation not only in Texas and, in particular, Arizona, but across the U.S. Recent research indicates that, in fact, renewable energy lowers costs, while a shift away from renewables would raise costs for Arizonans. Here are the facts:

The article reports, “Mr. Wright warned against a shift to renewable energy that he said was likely to prove costly. ‘Everywhere wind and solar penetration have increased significantly, prices went up,’ he said.”

However, the article continues, “That is not always true. Texas has seen its electricity prices decline slightly over the past decade as wind and solar have grown rapidly and now supply more than one-quarter of the state’s power.”

This trend isn’t unique to Texas. Arizona has also seen the economic benefits of investing in renewable energy, with solar and wind playing a growing role in keeping electricity costs stable and lowering household energy expenses. In fact, data shows that clean energy policies are already delivering savings for Arizona residents—and the potential for future cost reductions is even greater.

Renewable Energy Benefits for Arizona:

• Projected Household Savings: Federal clean energy tax credits are anticipated to lower annual energy costs by nearly $95 per household for Arizona residents by 2030, according to an Energy Innovation report.
  
  
• Health and Environmental Benefits: According to the same report, these tax credits are expected to prevent more than 350 early deaths from pollution through 2050 and cumulatively avert over 530 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions through 2050, equivalent to the emissions from 144 coal-fired power plants in one year.

The Risks of Moving Away from Renewable Energy:

• Increased Electricity Bills: Repealing clean energy tax credits could lead to higher electricity prices. Nationally, such a repeal is projected to increase delivered electricity prices by 7.3% for residential customers by 2029.
  
  
• Economic and Health Costs: Abandoning renewable energy initiatives could reverse the projected economic savings and health benefits for Arizonans, leading to higher energy bills and increased pollution-related health issues.

Renewable energy not only provides environmental benefits but also offers significant economic and health advantages for Arizona residents. Moving away from renewable energy sources would likely cause higher costs and adverse health outcomes for Arizonans.

Read the full NYT story here: U.S. Energy Secretary Pledges to Reverse Focus on Climate Change [Brad Plumer, NYT, March 10, 2025]

###