Editorial: Let the sunshine in

Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007 | 7:01 a.m.

R esidents of a North Las Vegas community are considering solar lights as replacements for gas lamps in the neighborhood's public areas.

A story in the Las Vegas Sun on Saturday says homeowners association members for The Parks are weary of the $9,000 a month it costs to operate the gated community's 550 gas lamps and are considering retrofitting lamps with solar panels or switching them to low-voltage electric lights.

Converting the lamps to solar power would cost just under $600 per light - more than the $440 per light the low-voltage fitting would cost.

However, although solar power is more expensive at the outset, once it is installed the association no longer would have a monthly power bill for running the lights. The low-voltage lamps, on the other hand, would cost about $3,000 a month to operate.

It is an interesting discussion and one that more communities likely will have as residents seek ways to cut energy costs and burn less fossil fuel .

Richard Cherico, president of The Parks homeowners association, told Sun reporter Phoebe Sweet that board members have significant concerns about the costs of future repairs and logistics of the solar lamps, such as making certain that residents' trees are trimmed so that branches don't interfere with the solar panels.

But these concerns, though valid, seem to be resolvable. For example, the homeowners association could cover future repairs by setting aside a small portion of the money it used to spend on power bills every month. Or perhaps the association could opt to switch only some of the community's lamps to solar power to see how it works before making a complete conversion.

It is praiseworthy that The Parks homeowners association is even considering solar-powered lamps in its discussions. But it would be even more so if The Parks took the plunge and set an example for other communities by being among the first in the Las Vegas Valley to switch to solar power.