TUCSON, AZ – Congressman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) issued a statement today following the release of new data by The Solar Foundation, which shows Arizona to have the third fastest growing solar sector in America and the second highest overall installed solar capacity out of all 50 states.

“Solar energy is bringing good jobs and reliable, clean energy to Arizonans at a time when we need them most,” said Rep. Grijalva. “The challenge of this generation is not just to rebuild after the Great Recession, and not just to end our reliance on harmful fossil fuels, but to do both together. Arizona is leading the nation in that effort, with $1.2 billion invested in solar utilities in 2013 alone.”

Nationwide, the solar industry is proving itself to be the apex of good jobs and clean energy, increasing its employment numbers by 7.2 percent and creating 31,000 more American jobs last year alone. This tremendous growth created 20 percent more jobs in 2014 than the year before, and 50 percent more added capacity nationwide. More solar capacity was installed in 3 weeks in 2014 than in all of 2008, resulting in enough energy output to now power more than 4 million homes across the country.

“The advances of the solar industry prove that innovation and ingenuity can – and will – triumph over the forces of status quo when it comes to our energy needs,” Grijalva continued. “Our state has been, and must remainat the forefront of that effort – it is something every Arizonan can be proud of.”

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