The article traces how Arizona’s early solar optimism in the 1970s, captured in a visionary 1975 issue of Arizona Highways, imagined solar power as a clean answer to energy shortages rather than climate change. At the time, advocates focused on energy independence, frugality and national security, but overestimated passive solar designs and underestimated how dramatically solar electricity would scale. Cheap fossil fuels in the 1980s stalled progress, and many early predictions did not materialize.
Decades later, solar energy reemerged as a dominant force, driven by falling costs, climate concerns and massive manufacturing investment led by China. Arizona is now a major solar state, with utility-scale projects, growing battery storage and significant economic impacts for rural counties. While debates remain over land use, grid integration and residential solar policy, solar has shifted from niche idealism to a mainstream energy source shaping Arizona’s economy and power grid.
