Solar power not all sunshine and roses

Tom Keller, Henderson

Sunday, March 25, 2012 | 2:01 a.m.

If Harry Reid believes the numbers he quotes in his Monday clean energy commentary, he is being duped by his renewable energy cronies. He says their projects are saving consumers and taxpayers money, contributing over $1 billion in financial benefits to Nevada and creating more than 2,200 jobs. I’d like to see where these supposed savings come from. These projects actually take large amounts of money out of the economy, costing — not adding — jobs.

The new Crescent Dunes solar plant in Tonopah is the perfect example. The only reason it is being built is that the government is putting up $737 million to finance it and the developers are being guaranteed three times the price of gas-generated power so they can make a profit. That means our electric bills will increase by about $90 million a year for this plant alone (enough to reduce employment by 2,000 to 3,000 jobs). The only benefits are developers’ profits. Just because the sun shines, does not mean it is an economic alternative to fossil fuels.