Kris Mayes

Kris Mayes, Faculty Director of the Program on Law and Sustainability, appeared on Channel 12 News on Tuesday, March 27, to discuss a solar tower being built in La Paz County.

“There’s some momentum behind this,” Mayes said. “You never know whether something will actually get built or whether the technology will bear out, but some very large California utilities have apparently seen fit to sign a contract with it.”

The power plant will use only the “heat of the sun,” said Chris Davey of EnviroMission, the Australian company behind the plant. It will stand 2,600 feet tall, making it one of the tallest structures in the world. The plant will produce enough clean energy to power 200,000 homes.

Mayes said smaller, similar projects have worked elsewhere, but nothing like this has ever been tried in the United States.

It is supposed to be finished in 2015, and will reportedly bring 1,500 construction jobs and 40 to 50 permanent jobs to Arizona.

To watch the report, click here.

Mayes, who has a Masters of Public Policy from Columbia University and a J.D. from the College of Law, served on the Arizona Corporation Commission from 2003 to 2010, and also chaired the Commission.