News Release

Commissioner Lea Márquez Peterson Advances First Residential Battery Storage Pilot Program in the State; Approves $2,500 Incentive & Pilot Program for At-Home Battery Installations ​

For Immediate Release | 10-02-20
Media Contact | Daniel Schwiebert 
Direct |  602-542-3625


REMOTELY FROM TUCSON - The Arizona Corporation Commission last week approved a new pilot program for Arizona Public Service Company that will provide up to $2,500 for the purchase and installation of at-home energy storage devices that can capture electricity from the grid or rooftop solar and dispatch it for later use.

 

“Residential energy storage is the future and the solution to providing reliable, affordable energy to families throughout the evening hours when solar is not available. Technology is still developing in energy storage and increased adoption will drive the price lower for families over time,” said Márquez Peterson.

 

“In order to transition to a cleaner energy future, we need solutions that can not only heat and cool our homes during the hottest summers and coldest winters, but also solutions that can do so late into the evening hours, long after the sun has set,” said Márquez Peterson.

 

Commissioner Lea Márquez Peterson proposed and passed a pilot program for residential APS customers and increased the incentive per household from $300 per kilowatt to $500 per kilowatt, so Arizonans would be incentivized to purchase and install energy storage. 

 

“By approving APS’s residential energy storage pilot program, we are providing customers an affordable energy opportunity as many work and learn from home. This pilot program will allow the utility company to study the grid impact and incorporate best practices for these systems in our unique Arizona climate.”

 

To view Commissioner Márquez Peterson’s amendment proposing approval of a residential energy storage pilot program for APS customers, click here: Commissioner Márquez Peterson’s Proposed Amendment No. 2 (APS Residential Energy Storage Pilot Program)

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About Commissioner Lea Márquez Peterson, MBA, IOM:

Commissioner Lea Márquez Peterson was appointed to the Arizona Corporation Commission by Governor Doug Ducey in May of 2019. She is the first Latina to serve in a statewide seat in the state of Arizona.

Lea has been an entrepreneur in our community for many years and served as the President/ CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber from 2009 until November of 2018. The Tucson Hispanic Chamber serves the business community in the bilingual, bi-cultural region of the Arizona-Sonora border and was recognized as the Hispanic Chamber of the Year in 2013 by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Lea is proud to have won a four-way primary race for Congress in Arizona Congressional District 2 in 2018. Prior to her leadership at the Chamber, she previously served as the Executive Director for Greater Tucson Leadership (GTL) from 2005 to 2009 and owned and operated a Business Brokerage Firm from 2005 to 2009 and a chain of six gasoline stations / convenience stores with 50 employees from 1998 to 2005 in the Tucson region.

Lea has been appointed to serve on the Arizona Judicial Council which advises the Arizona Supreme Court and the Arizona Finance Authority, the state’s bonding authority. She chairs the Board of Directors of Carondelet’s St Mary’s and St Joseph’s Hospitals in Tucson and is the former Chair of the Pima Association of Governments’ Economic Vitality Committee. She serves on the Boards of the University of Arizona Foundation and the Pima County Workforce Investment Board and is the President of the National Association of Women Business Owners in Tucson. She also serves on the national Small Business Development Council advisory board for the U.S Small Business Administration.

She received her undergraduate degrees in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the University of Arizona, and her Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University. She resides in Tucson and is married with two children.

Twitter:@LeaPeterson
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/leamarquezpeterson/

The Arizona Corporation Commission was established by the state’s constitution to regulate public utilities and business incorporation. The Corporation Commission is Arizona’s co-equal, fourth branch of government. The five Commissioners elected to the Corporation Commission oversee executive, legislative, and judicial proceedings on behalf of Arizonans when it comes to their water, electricity, telephone, and natural gas resources as well as the regulation of securities, pipeline, and railroad safety. To learn more about the Arizona Corporation Commission and its Commissioners, visit

 

Arizona Corporation Commission

1200 W. Washington Street

Phoenix, AZ 85007

 

Corporations Division

1300 W. Washington Street

Phoenix, AZ 85007

 

Tucson Office (Walk-ins only)

400 W. Congress Street

Tucson, AZ 85701