Energy

What awaits us in Washington: Monday, January 14, 2013; Pending legislation that will affect business in Southern Nevada; By Karoun Demirjian; People often complain that leaders in Washington do nothing. Yet in 2013, President Barack Obama, Congress and the Supreme Court will turn to several issues that were tabled until after last November’s elections, and the to-do list includes many items that could change the way Nevadans do business.

Henderson entrepreneurs hope to strike big with clean energy: Sunday, December 23, 2012; By Eli Segall; Working from a sparsely decorated office suite in a nondescript building in Henderson, Johnny Thomas and John Francis are trying to build a clean-tech empire. They're well on their way. The men have acquired two subsidiary firms for more than $17 million combined and locked up several project deals.

First phase of Boulder City solar power plant finished: Tuesday, December 11, 2012; By Eli Segall; A San Diego developer has finished construction of the first phase of a solar power plant in Boulder City. The 92-megawatt phase consists of nearly 1.5 million solar panels that can power about 27,600 homes.

L.A. officially set to buy solar power from plants near Las Vegas: Thursday, December 6, 2012; By Eli Segall; Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa finalized deals to buy power from two solar plants slated to be built near Las Vegas.

Los Angeles to buy power from solar plant near Las Vegas: Tuesday, November 20, 2012; By Eli Segall; The Los Angeles City Council has approved buying renewable energy from a solar plant slated to be built on Moapa Paiutes tribal land 30 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

Spanish engineering firm, Las Vegas company team together on solar project: Thursday, November 15, 2012; Energy:; By William D'Urso; A Spanish engineering company has crossed the ocean with a contract to build more than 10,000 solar panels in Las Vegas for an installation in Tonopah that would provide electricity to thousands of homes in Nevada. In March, Spanish engineering firm Batz needed to find an American company to partner with to gain the necessary business licenses to set up shop in the United States.

Utility troubles affect central, northern parts of valley: Monday, November 12, 2012; By Brian Nordli; Utility troubles on this observed Veterans Day holiday are impacting at least two areas of the Las Vegas Valley. An outage late Monday morning near Desert Inn and Industrial roads in the central valley has left 733 NV Energy customers without power.

How Nevada is trying to grow its tech sector — and succeeding slowly: Monday, November 5, 2012; By Richard N. Velotta; Downturns prove time and again how important it is for Nevada to diversify its economy. The state must protect itself from the effects of relying too much on one industry. When Brian Sandoval ran for governor in 2010 and took office in 2011, he made diversification a key piece of his platform. The cornerstone of his effort is broadening technology.

NV Energy wants $9.8 million surcharge to make up for conservation: Tuesday, October 23, 2012; By Cy Ryan; Despite higher-than-expected summer revenue, NV Energy is seeking the OK for a $9.8 million surcharge to make up for revenue lost as the result of conservation measures taken by its customers.

Court orders new study on proposed natural gas pipeline: Monday, October 22, 2012; By Cy Ryan; A court has ruled that more study is required to determine the impact of a proposed natural gas pipeline across Northern Nevada on endangered species, including the Lahontan cutthroat trout.

Lawsuit seeks more pollution controls at coal power plant: Monday, October 22, 2012; By Cy Ryan; An Indian tribe and environmentalists have filed a lawsuit to force improved pollution controls at the Reid Gardner coal-fired power plant in Southern Nevada on grounds the facility poses a health hazard.

60,400 acres in Nevada designated for ‘solar energy zones’: Friday, October 12, 2012; By Eli Segall; U.S. officials have finalized a plan to spur solar-energy projects on federal lands in Nevada and other Western states. And Sen. Harry Reid, a staunch advocate, made sure to take a jab at Nevada’s largest electricity provider, saying NV Energy refuses to consider some clean-energy efforts.

Power out for about 1,500 NV Energy customers: Thursday, October 11, 2012; By William D'Urso; Power was out for some 1,500 NV Energy customers from about 5:20 to 6:30 a.m. today in the area of Durango Drive and Spring Mountain Road, the company said. No details were immediately available about what caused the outage.

Californians wake up to huge spike in gas prices: Friday, October 5, 2012; By Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press; Californians woke up to a shock Friday as overnight gasoline prices jumped by as much as 20 cents a gallon in some areas, ending a week of soaring costs that saw some stations close and others charge record prices.

NV Energy buying its renewable energy outside of Nevada, undercutting efforts to spur in-state development: Friday, September 28, 2012; By David McGrath Schwartz; When the Legislature required the state’s power company to produce a certain percentage of its electricity from renewable energy, a primary goal was to spur the “green energy” industry inside Nevada. But NV Energy has used wind power from other states to help it meet the state’s requirement.