Clean energy industries are booming and powering Arizona’s economy, with Donald Trump and his Big Oil allies still trying to pull the plug. Since the passage of the clean energy plan, Arizona has benefited from new clean energy projects that have invested $11.81 billion and announced 18,130 jobs across the state, with many more to come. Arizona is ranked tenth in the nation for new clean energy investments and has seen the seventh most new clean energy jobs announced since the passage of the clean energy plan. Not only are these companies creating new good-paying and unionized jobs, but some have invested in workforce training and skills development programs – building Arizona’s workforce for the future. These jobs build on Arizona’s established leadership on clean energy; the state is home to 83,049 clean energy jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. 

Most Energy Jobs in Arizona are in Clean Energy

• 61% of Arizona’s energy jobs are in clean energy

Arizonans Want Clean Energy

• In battleground states of Arizona and Nevada, the majority of likely voters—94% of Democrats, 75% of Independents, and even 46% of Republicans— say it is important for the US to increase its use of clean and renewable energy sources.
• Vice President Harris leads Trump by +23pp in battleground states of AZ and NV on the issue of expanding clean energy (Harris 53% v Trump 30%) and by +21pp on the issue of climate change (Harris 51% v Trump 30%). 

While Donald Trump has made false claims about Vice President Harris threatening energy jobs and production, there is no dispute that Trump is waging a war against clean energy nationwide as part of the “deal” he proposed to the oil executives funding his campaign. In addition to promising to repeal the clean energy investments in the Inflation Reduction Act, which he consistently derides as a “scam,” he speaks obsessively about destroying the wind, solar, and electric vehicle industries, which would decimate domestic supply chains and raise costs for American families. While Trump poses an immediate threat to Arizona energy jobs and production, Vice President Harris and President Biden are growing the clean energy economy.

Here are 10 clean energy projects in Arizona that are supported by the Biden-Harris administration – and that are threatened by Donald Trump, JD Vance and their radical anti-clean energy agenda.

Ten Clean Energy Projects That Are Revitalizing Arizona Communities

1. Battery Manufacturing Investments Are Driving Job Growth In Pinal County

New battery manufacturing and recycling facilities in Pinal County, combined with new workforce training partnerships, will allow companies to fill clean energy jobs with local workers. These new investments further strengthen the county’s economic outlook while creating good-paying opportunities for residents closer to home. In March 2023, LG Energy Solution (LGES) announced it would invest $5.6 billion to open a gigafactory in Queen Creek, after previously pausing plans due to cost increases and uncertainty about federal tax credits. The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act solidified the company’s decision to invest in the megaproject because of the increasing demand for EV batteries and utility-scale battery storage. LGES said the factory complex will employ 2,800 in its first phase and plans to add an additional 850 employees in the factory’s second phase. Production will start in 2026, and hiring for the factory will start at the end of 2024.

LGES is committed to hiring and training employees from the local community. To achieve that goal, LGES partnered with Pinal County, Central Arizona College, and the Arizona Commerce Authority, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., Design Systems Inc., and Architekton Architects to provide workforce training focused on lithium-ion battery manufacturing. The program, part of Arizona’s Future48 Workforce Accelerator, will provide process training for LGES’s manufacturing equipment on Central Arizona College’s campus in Apache Junction. LGES also started outreach at local colleges, including Central Arizona College and Mesa Community College.

In addition, in February 2023, Ecobat announced plans for a battery recycling facility in Casa Grande, creating 60 new jobs. Casa Grande’s Mayor, Craig McFarland, celebrated the company’s investment, arguing it demonstrated that sustainability-focused companies could create jobs in Pinal County. Ecobat commissioned the facility in January 2024. And in September 2022, Heritage Battery Recycling announced it would build a new lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Eloy, citing new incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act. The plant will create 75 temporary and 110 permanent jobs and recycle enough battery material to support 50,000 EVs per year. Eloy’s Mayor, Micah Power, said the investment and new jobs “fit nicely” into the city’s plan to attract quality employers. As of May 2023, the facility was under construction.

2. Utility-Scale Solar Development Is Creating Good-Paying Jobs

Arizona ranks second in the nation for solar energy potential, and the industry is ramping up in the state. Utility-scale solar developers are recognizing the opportunity, and driving job growth. Longroad Energy is currently constructing two solar projects in the state, Sun Streams 3 and Sun Streams 4. Sun Streams 3 will support 300 construction jobs and provide more than $65 million in revenue for Arizona schools. Sun Streams 4 will support over 200 construction jobs and provide over $100 million in revenue for local communities across its lifespan. Sun Streams 4 is also employing registered operators and carpenter apprentices to benefit from additional tax credits under the clean energy plan. 

3. American Battery Factory Gigafactory Is Powering Growth In Tucson

In December 2022, American Battery Factory (ABF) announced it would open a $1.2 billion lithium gigafactory in Tucson, Arizona. The facility will create 1,000 jobs once fully scaled, and the company committed to hiring and training local workers. The factory was projected to have an overall economic impact of over $3.1 billion. ABF broke ground on the facility in October 2023 and projects the factory will be operational in spring 2025.

4. The Solar For All Program Is Lowering Utility Costs

Arizona received a $156 million grant from the clean energy plan’s Solar for All grant program. The funding will deploy over 61 megawatts of new solar resources across the state, helping low-income families and renters save over $164 million on their electricity bills.

4. Clean School Buses For Better Kids’ Health

Eighteen Arizona school districts received over $18.97 million ​​from the EPA’s Clean School Bus Rebate Program to purchase low- and zero-emission school buses. In addition, 25 Arizona school districts received over $55.8 million in funding through the first Clean School Bus Program Grants Competition. 

5. Federal Investments Are Boosting Drought Resiliency

The Biden-Harris administration has enacted $4 billion in funding from the Department of Interior (DOI’s) Bureau of Reclamation will help Colorado River basin states mitigate climate-driven drought. The Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan received $300 million. $250 million of this funding is for the DOI’s Bureau of Reclamation to create or conserve 100,000 acre-feet of water annually for the Lower Colorado River Basin at Lake Mead. Through the DOI’s Bureau of Reclamation, four Arizona projects received $27.7 million to increase drought resilience and improve water delivery systems. Three Arizona projects across three counties received over $5 million from the DOI to prepare and respond to the challenges of drought.

6. Hundreds of Solar Manufacturing Jobs Come to Arizona

Solar manufacturers are also increasing investment in Arizona. Following the passage of the clean energy plan, Meyer Burger relaunched its plans for a solar manufacturing facility, which stalled in 2021. The company plans to create 630 new solar manufacturing jobs at the Goodyear facility to access the expanded tax credits. In January 2024, the company announced it would expand production at the facility from 1.5 to 2 gigawatts and hire 130 more workers to meet the growing demand for Made in America solar panels. 

7. Northern Arizona Tribes Get Reliable Power with Solar 

Navajo Power Home recently received a $5 million grant from the Biden-Harris clean energy plan to scale its work installing solar on tribal lands in Arizona. Focused on off-grid solar systems that are the best option for the often remote homes of Navajo Nation, the company expects to electrify at least 1,000 new homes in the next year with the help of this grant. 

Also, thanks to a $9 million in grant funding from the Biden-Harris clean energy plan, the Hopi Tribe of northeastern Arizona will be able to power critical infrastructure on clean, reliable power. The solar and storage project will employ local workers, is expected to bring energy savings to the community, and offer a reliable source of electricity for the area. Energy produced through this project will be owned and operated by the Hopi Tribe, a community previously devastated by the loss of cheap power and jobs from the coal-fired Navajo Generating Station. 

8. Good Union Jobs Building Clean Transmission Infrastructure

The SunZia transmission line project, connecting solar energy with customers in Arizona and New Mexico, will support thousands of good union jobs in the region. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) signed a project labor agreement to build the $1.4 billion, 580-mile 525-volt HVDC transmission line, which has been called the largest clean energy infrastructure project in North American history. The SunZia project will power more than 3 million homes annually when complete, all while creating more than 2,000 construction jobs. 

9. Cocopah Tribe To Save Millions Thanks To Solar 

In southwest Arizona, the Cocopah Tribe has turned a landfill into a power-generating opportunity thanks to critical tax incentives and a $5 million in grant from the Biden-Harris clean energy plan. The tribe will be installing a solar farm that is intended to power the convention and entertainment center at the heart of revenue creation for the community. The solar farm is expected to save the tribe more than $14 million in operating costs in the next 30 years, savings that will be utilized for community enrichment like daycare and a vocational training center. 

10. Rural Business Saves Thousands with Solar

A rural Inn in Cottonwood, Arizona expects to see $10,000 in savings a year with new solar installations. The Pines Inn & Suites, a local small business and part of the Local First AZ network, was able to receive $55,000, almost a 70% reduction in costs, off their project cost thanks to incentives from the Biden-Harris clean energy plan. With significant savings, the owners are now exploring installing additional solar and ways to grow their business in their community of 12,000.