Renewable-energy projects in rural Arizona have contributed $9.4 billion to the state’s economy since 2001, according to a study conducted by a conservative environmental and energy group.

John Karakoulakis is with the conservative think tank The Western Way. His group conducted a study that found renewables contribute billions to the state through solar farm construction, and those projects have added 18,000 jobs statewide.

“You see companies that move here that want to be able to generate their own energy or want to be able to use solar energy from the utility provider," Karakoulakis said. "You’ve seen a shift in recent years in terms of the marketplace demanding this.”

Discussion continues about Arizona’s energy use after voters turned down Prop 127 last fall, a measure that would have required electric utilities to increase renewable energy use to 50 percent over the next ten years.

In February, APS announced it would add 850 megawatts of solar storage by mid-2020.