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Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009 | 4:42 p.m.
Gov. Jim Gibbons
Beyond the Sun
CARSON CITY – Nevada’s renewable energy resources will pull the state out of its recession, much like mining, agriculture and gambling did in past economic downturns, Gov. Jim Gibbons said Thursday.
“This is the new gaming industry for Nevada in the future,” Gibbons said after accepting the final report of his Renewable Energy Transmission Access Advisory Committee. The report details areas of the state where solar, wind and geothermal resources can be developed.
Daniel Schochet, chairman of the committee, said the resources can be developed in five to 10 years and produce an estimated 5,000 megawatts of solar energy, 1,600 megawatts of geothermal and 1,000 megawatts of wind energy. One megawatt can supply up to 750 homes a year.
The committee outlined 21 areas of potential development and the routes of lines that could be used to export the power.
The solar zones identified in the state include Clark, Nye and Lincoln counties. The geothermal potential is mainly in Northern Nevada. The potential for wind is scattered throughout the state.
To develop transmission lines the committee is recommending tax exempt bonds, use of federal stimulus funds and money from ratepayers. There was no estimate how much it might cost a homeowner because all of these projects would be developed at different times and in different areas. And some might never be developed because they would not be feasible.
The committee said the study shows “that a significant market exists in California, Arizona and elsewhere for Nevada’s renewable energy and that the transmission paths are feasible.”
Development of solar in Southern Nevada is ranked first for economic feasibility related to transmission lines, which have an estimated construction cost of $358 million. Ranked second is development of lines for the wind resources in eastern Nevada at $118.1 million. And third in economic feasibility is geothermal development in Northern Nevada at $26.8 million.
Of the tax exempt bonds, the committee said “regardless what the driving technical, regulatory, or siting issues are, establishing a mechanism to repay the investment is critical before any plan can move forward with the construction of these transmission lines and associated facilities.”
But the governor said development of these resources “will build our way out of the recession.”
hey monkey boy gibbons...
great idea...
too bad nobody has an ounce of respect for you...
too bad you are a total laughing stock...
too bad you have absolutely zero leadership skills...
too bad you are totally and completely impotent to do anything about this great idea!!!
My god. It's not like others haven't already said this for years. Now he wants to take credit for that?
Is he back on the bottle? Until it becomes competitive with fossil fuels, there is no way a bunch of solar panels sitting in the desert will invigorate our economy. He needs to go back to chasing skirts in parking garages. He is totally clueless.
Yeah...right.
NevaDUH has a monopoly on sun and wind like it USED TO have a monopoly on gambling and whores.
However, we do maintain our lead in idiot politcos from BOTH parties.
Now the left is against solar and wind energy because Gibbons is for it????
Why would we expect any different. hope and change.
no duh...also on tap - special N.CA. herb - a growth industry
Haha
Every state thinks they can be the solar state.
too late
Until this utopia power becomes financially plausible it's all a pipe dream. Oil is the energy of the future.
Its not a bad idea, becoming a major power producer and selling that power to other states (or countries) could bring in huge quantities of cash for Nevada in the future. We need to start setting aside areas were we will develop solar power stations even if construction doesn't begin right now (though with the cheap labor available, its probably a good idea to do it now).
However, I think Gibbons is just riding the wave of green power popularity. He simply isn't who we need leading this effort.
The basic technology for all of this exists. The problem is the massive amount of spending it will take to get the infrastructure on line to support all this. But there's no time like the present to get going.
As soon as this global recession is over, we're talking $5 gasoline, and climbing. India and China are ready to explode in gasoline (and all other fossil fuel) consumption. I could care less if Gibbon's take credit for this. We'll all be wishing we just "did it," when the eastern hemisphere is consuming all the world's oil and the oil shock of '73 seems like the good old days.
Good job Governor Gibbons! Sounds like a great plan.
What a joke this guy is. This is the same duffus that while campaigning was advocating building coal plants all over Nevada. That is, while he was not assaulting women.
Gibbons is reaching for straws now that he knows he is out of a job soon. He has been the worst governor ever.
Wow! Who told Gibbons to say this? I guess it's true that a broken clock gives the correct time twice per day. Gibbons is correct that Nevada needs renewable energy to solve the climate crisis and reinvigorate the state's economy. So is he willing to work with the legislature to make this happen?
Did you use the w word? Work? Jim??? LOL
You mean for us???
LMAO
In case Goober hasn't noticed, what Las Vegas really needs is WATER - not more neon signs lit up. DUH!
LV has about 2 years before it can no longer draw out of Lake Mead. Then what, Gubber Goober?
This is why we need Reid to continue in the senate to bring this energy production potential to fruition.
"To develop transmission lines the committee is recommending tax exempt bonds, use of federal stimulus funds and money from ratepayers. There was no estimate how much it might cost a homeowner because all of these projects would be developed at different times and in different areas. And some might never be developed because they would not be feasible." -- So we really don't have a good estimate on what'd cost the SoCal or LV consumer, but we do know Federal taxes (and the deficit & debt) would go up to fund it? Sounds to me like the study is only half complete...
It also doesn't address energy storage, which is one of the problems associated with solar & wind power. On a windy & sunny day there's plenty of power, but what happens when the sun goes down & the winds die out? We may be able to generate energy, but we either have to come up with a way to store it or provide alternate power sources.
Personally, I doubt NV will ever be much of an energy exporter. CA, UT & AZ have plenty of land for building their own wind & solar generating plants -- and CA can use that power to convert seawater to hydrogen and then store the hydrogen for later consumption. NV might be better served by putting solar panels on houses & buildings to eliminate the summer day consumption spikes, and then relying on hydro & geothermal for steady-state consumption needs. That, and an aggressive conservation effort.
NLV-Inde..13
You nailed it. Selling and shipping solar is kinda tough because of 3 big things:
1)Transmission loss. Running electricity down a wire takes energy. About an extra 20%.
2) Solar is everywhere. It's much more advantageous to put the solar collection units where they are needed, rather than trying to centralize the collection and then build lines to take the juice to the demand site.
3)Rapidly expanding need and reduced efforts to eliminate waste make it hard for any source to supply adequate energy. The "aggressive conservation effort" is the keystone to this planet's sustainability.
Hey Birdiedreamin
Thats a lot to type about someone you think is a joke ??
texexnv
why do you live here, do the state a favor and move out.
Airweare,
(I'm probably too late again, but I'll just keep reposting this counterpoint to your out-dated point about transmission loss, until I finally catch you.)
"I absolutely must correct you on the issue of power transmission and distribution efficiency. We are not losing about 20% of the power we send through the system. The figures are far, far less. Please take a peek at the link I include at the bottom; the countries doing the best job are places like Luxembourg and Isreal. They're transmitting with losses only in the 1-3% range. Admittedly, they are small countries with shorter distances. But even here in the good ol' U.S. of A., we're only losing an average 6.39% of all power sent through all our grids. Though preferable, it is not at all necessary to produce power near where it will be consumed. We certainly don't do that now. Power loss figures will continue to come down. Though once we get past the hump of initial infrastructure costs, maintenance costs of solar power will be negligible anyway."
(Scroll down to bottom of list for more efficient countries)
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/ene_el......
PRACTICAL DECENTRALIZED OPTIONS . . . NOW
ROOFTOP SOLAR: At least one company is offering it to home owners, without huge up front costs. Enough people participate, and you have a substantial portion of the solution.
This alternative requires no new transmission lines. Why is Nevada Energy not promoting it? Could it be, with enough consumer uptake, that those producing the electricity from their rooftops would begin demanding compensation for the excess power that they are able to generate?
http://renu.citizenre.com/
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: They are already available. Yes, the range is restricted and recharging takes a while. But given the driving patterns of many people, these vehicles would serve quite well. For that occasional long trip, consider renting. Your savings in gasoline costs and maintenance may more than offset those expenses.
http://revolutionvehicles.com/
FastTracker,
I with you and Airweare that rooftop solar panel technology needs to be pursued. I've long felt Nevada Power/NV Energy should be sued for not allowing individual home owners to trade or sell to each other excess power they produce on their own rooftops. It may ruin NV Energy's economic model, but their monopolistic behavior is anti-free markets, unfair, and demonstrably very bad for the economy.