The Center for an Arizona Carbon-Neutral Economy pursues a bold vision: to build a clean, resilient and carbon-neutral economy in Arizona and the Southwest by 2050, and to intentionally support the communities most at risk of being left behind.
AzCaNE launched with a focus on low-carbon intensity hydrogen, using the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub Funding Opportunity as a catalyst for its early activities. However, low-carbon-intensity hydrogen was never intended to be the Center’s sole focus. The name AzCaNE reflects a broader ambition to advance multiple pathways toward carbon-neutrality; the organization is committed to overcoming the challenges of low-carbon-intensity hydrogen development. AzCaNE is poised to play a critical role in Arizona’s economic security and low-carbon-intensity energy future.
AzCaNE takes an “all of the above” approach to achieving a low-carbon and sustainable future, recognizing that no single solution will achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
As the world navigates rising CO2 emissions, low-carbon-intensity hydrogen stands out as a promising solution for enhancing energy security.
AzCaNE balances near-term solutions, like upgrading industrial equipment to cut emissions, with longer-term investments like low-carbon-intensity hydrogen infrastructure.
AzCaNE brings together leading experts in bioenergy, biomass management and sustainable technologies to transform organic bioresources into renewable fuels and valuable products.
By converting agricultural residue, dairy biogas and other bioresources into low-carbon energy and usable products, AzCaNE is advancing circular economy strategies that support a carbon-neutral future.
Extensive reservoirs of oil, gas and natural carbon dioxide in the Southwest make it an ideal place to explore carbon capture, utilization and storage.
The area benefits from existing CO2 pipelines and geological formations, facilitating enhanced oil recovery and deep brine storage; these support large-scale storage solutions and address technical challenges.
No single technology or pathway can meet the scale or complexity of our ongoing energy, resource and carbon management challenges.
AzCaNE works across disciplines to assess and advance diverse strategies—from long-duration energy storage and electrification to sustainable land use, circular economy and beyond—to build a holistic path toward a carbon-neutral economy in Arizona.
As the U.S. advances its clean energy transition, hydrogen is emerging as a critical solution for decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries. The new Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit (45V) is designed to accelerate this shift by making low-carbon hydrogen more competitive.
This paper explores Treasury’s final rules for the credit and outlines how producers, policymakers, and stakeholders can respond. It provides insights into the opportunities and challenges of these rules from multiple perspectives—environmental, economic, security, and social—while offering a framework for how stakeholders can adapt strategies to ensure both compliance and industry growth. An addendum provides the latest updates to federal guidance, supporting stakeholders with timely, practical direction as they navigate the complexities of building a clean hydrogen economy.
March 13, 2025 Arizona lawmakers are pushing for more solar development in the state, particularly in rural La Paz County, even as the Trump administration advocates moving away from “intermittent” renewable energy.
March 13, 2025 Carlyle Portfolio Company-owned developer Copia Power has closed a US$1.71 billion debt facility to fund construction of its Maricopa Energy Centre Projects. The centre, located in Maricopa County, Arizona, US, consists of 550MW of solar and 2,200MWh of battery energy storage capacity.
February 25, 2025 Clean energy is creating jobs and cost savings for Arizonans and Americans across the country. As the business manager of IBEW Local 570, I know firsthand how important clean energy is to making our economy work for all Americans. If we want to build back American manufacturing and keep our competitive edge over China, we need to invest in the energy of the future.
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