By Mark Cowling | Pinal Central
The first solar farm in Arizona was south of Coolidge in 1979. Known at the time as a “collector field,” it was a U.S. Department of Agriculture project built at a cost of $4 million.
It’s no longer there, but many others have sprung up to take its place and make Pinal County a solar energy leader. An estimated 36% of the energy produced in Pinal is solar; by comparison, just 10% of electricity statewide is solar-generated.
What does this proliferation of solar mean for the future of Pinal agriculture?
Coolidge has several thousand acres of solar fields, but “I don’t believe it’s anywhere close to replacing ag in any way, shape or form,” City Manager Gilbert Lopez said. In the county, 105,285 acres are still classified as agricultural, 3% of Pinal’s total acreage.
