The future of a mandate to use more renewable energy — and force Arizona customers to pay more to buy it — could be in the hands of Gov. Janet Napolitano.

A sudden spike in energy usage Saturday renewed concerns that power companies might have to pull the plug in some areas to prevent uncontrolled blackouts, an Arizona Public Service spokeswoman said.

Ignoring threats by a company to pack up and leave, a House panel voted late Tuesday to overturn the renewable energy mandate on utilities by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Arizona Public Service said Wednesday it is seeking proposals for two new renewable energy projects in Arizona, one for a new source of photovoltaic solar energy and the other for wind power.

PARK CITY, Utah -- Cabinet members of the Obama administration vowed on Monday to help Western states develop a robust system for delivering renewable power.

A new loan program will enable more Arizona Public Service customers to take advantage of rebates and tax incentives available for adding personal renewable energy systems.

The United States, like any forward-thinking investor, needs to diversify its energy portfolio. The country is not going to be able to drill its way out of this energy crisis; oil will not save us.

Arizona Public Service residential customers will pay 88 cents more on their monthly electric bills to cover the higher cost of renewable energy under a program approved by state utility regulators.

State utility regulators took the first steps Thursday to mandate the use of more expensive renewable energy, comparing it to requiring seat belts in cars and forcing children to eat their broccoli.

Guests this weekend at WestWorld of Scottsdale can learn how to save money on electricity, how to plant a tree in Haiti or Ethiopia and how to make the ancient Chinese art of feng shui work in the Arizona desert.

More than 192,000 acres of land in Arizona is being dedicated to utility-scale renewable energy projects.

Gilbert fifth-grade teacher Nancy Hannigan knelt down and picked up a newspaper article and a piece of Styrofoam that had been buried three months ago and was recently excavated. The Greenfield Elementary School teacher noted that neither showed any signs of decay and both items were pretty much intact even after a year of being buried.

A Senate panel approved renewable energy legislation Wednesday that its sponsor conceded is designed to provoke a new legal fight with the Arizona Corporation Commission.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Thursday identified 17 sites in six Western states as prime candidates for solar energy projects on public lands, continuing a push for solar power despite the high-profile bankruptcy of a solar panel maker that received a half-billion dollar federal loan.

The three Democrats running for the Arizona Corporation Commission said voters need to choose at least one of them to protect the push for more renewable energy.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A company owned by American Indians has been awarded more than $500,000 to bring electricity from solar power to Navajo Nation homes that now lack electricity.

A turf fight is brewing between state lawmakers and the Arizona Corporation Commission over who has the right to tell utilities how they have to generate electricity.

Arizona Public Service will expand its renewable energy efforts next year under a program approved late Tuesday by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Writing as two of the architects of the Arizona Corporation Commission’s Renewable Energy Standard, we are concerned that the commission’s efforts to promote renewable energy in Arizona are being distorted for partisan gain.

The state's highest court refused Tuesday to overturn a requirement on utilities to generate at least 15 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2025.

Two East Valley companies are forming a new venture that will focus on renewable energy and emission controls at coal-fired power plants.

With scientists saying that global warming could increase everything from hurricanes to heart attacks, Valley utilities are expanding opportunities for their customers to purchase green power that avoids the burning of fossil fuels.

Attorney General Terry Goddard has certified new Arizona Corporation Commission rules designed to promote the use of more solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources in Arizona.