Opinion: Tucson should embrace solar power for energy security

When Arizona generates and stores its own power locally, it insulates its residents, including fixed-income veterans, from external disruptions and creates a durable and resilient grid. It also means that a failure at one single point does not trigger a cascading collapse across our entire power grid.

Beyond local security, Sonora South offers high-paying, career-defining jobs for Southern Arizonans. We have a choice in how Tucson grows. We can continue to rely on external exploitation, volatile fossil fuel markets that leave our state exposed to price shocks, and ever-increasing power bills — or we can choose self-reliance. Embracing clean energy projects like Sonora South means deciding to build a stronger, more independent Arizona.

Constructing and maintaining renewable energy and battery storage facilities requires complex project management, advanced engineering, and rigorous logistics. These requirements align perfectly with military training. Large-scale solar installations offer stable, continued, and local employment for Arizona veterans.

A clean grid is a safer grid. I urge our city leaders to approve the Sonora South Solar project, and I encourage my fellow Tucsonans to voice their support ahead of the Sept. 24 hearing before the City’s Zoning Examiner. You can send written comments by email to Tucsonrezoning@tucsonaz.gov or submit them in writing to:

Planning and Development Services Department

201 N Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85726