By JD Hayworth, Guest Commentary//October 29, 2026//
Arizona needs more power. Embracing solar can help.
Rows of solar panels sit at Orsted’s Eleven Mile Solar Center lithium-ion battery storage energy facility, Feb. 29, 2024, in Coolidge, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
By JD Hayworth, Guest Commentary//October 29, 2026//
Arizona’s electricity needs are growing. Arizona Public Service and the Salt River Project both recorded peak electricity demand during last summer’s heat waves. These peaks came as data centers continue to strain our energy grid across the greater Phoenix metropolitan area and beyond.
That’s why we must use every available energy resource. One of the best ways to do that is to respect Arizona’s farmers’ and ranchers’ property rights by letting them decide whether to build a new solar panel or gas well on their land
For many Arizonans, all the natural energy resources we need are right here at home. Our state ranks near the top nationally for peak sun hours. Arizona is already a solar leader, ranking fifth in the United States and generating enough capacity to power millions of homes.
That solar power has created an estimated 15,506 jobs in Arizona while bringing in tens of millions of dollars in capital investment and tax revenue.
Meanwhile, our grid is backed by nuclear infrastructure through our Palo Verde plant. In fact, our grid is already anchored by a massive foundation—including abundant natural gas and the Palo Verde plant, the largest nuclear energy facility in the United States.
As a conservative who represented Arizona in Congress, I’ve always believed energy policy should follow a simple principle: use what works. This means giving landowners the freedom to decide how to use their own property.
That’s why, while I represented Arizona in Washington, D.C., I sponsored legislation that gave Arizona homeowners a federal tax credit for installing solar panels. While I believe consumer choice and private property rights should always have the final say on any energy project, I know Arizona should take advantage of every reliable, affordable resource we have to increase access and lower costs. To the extent we can encourage production from any energy source, I believe we should.
Farmers should be allowed to install solar panels whenever they want. That should be their right as property owners. The simple truth is that, right now, we need more power. Lots of it.
The new solar energy complex in Pinal County, also known as Eloy Valley Energy Center III, can help meet that demand. This approach builds on a formula that already works, giving Arizona farmers and ranchers a steady stream of extra income by letting them voluntarily lease their land, while also bringing jobs, tax revenue, and much-needed power to Arizona’s grid.
Resisting innovations that deliver new energy sources will only hold us back. The same goes for local restrictions that block private landowners from leasing out their own property.
That is why it was disappointing that the Cochise County Planning and Zoning Commission voted last month against expanding the Babacomari Solar Field near Whetstone and Huachuca City. If built, that facility would have added more than 700,000 panels and a 160-megawatt battery facility.
The only solar projects that should move forward are those the community and our farmers feel good about. Still, modern solar and storage systems use far less water than traditional thermal plants, and the construction phase still requires careful review.
Some state measures just go too far. Why are Arizona lawmakers debating making solar construction a misdemeanor? While China tries to corner the solar market at Americans’ expense?
Other countries understand that solar power is increasingly reliable and affordable. Arizonans shouldn’t be denied those benefits.
Over the past decade, solar panel costs have fallen sharply, and battery storage has drastically improved, making power available even after sundown.
Arizona cannot afford to leave sunshine, nuclear capacity, or natural gas underused. Our farmers can’t afford to be unable to use their own land in order to make a living.
When we protect farmers’ and ranchers’ rights to lease their land, rural communities thrive while energy costs come down. We should all be in support of that.
Republican JD Hayworth represented Arizona in the U.S. House from 1995-2007, and was the first Arizonan to ever serve on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, where he successfully sponsored a federal tax credit for residential solar power.
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