The home of Chris Brooks includes a 4.2-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system that creates enough credits to eliminate any electric power consumption. His bill runs $6 a month for a connection to the power grid. Photos by Clint Karlsen. Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, left, talks to Chris Brooks about his home Wednesday. Brooks uses renewable energy throughout his house.

Warning of $3 gasoline again by summer, U.S. Sen. Harry Reid on Wednesday cited an employee of Bombard Electric as an example of how Americans can break their dependence on fossil fuels.

Reid, D-Nev., a longtime supporter of renewable energy, including solar, wind and geothermal resources, announced Energy Independence 2020 Program and compared it to equivalent of the Apollo project in the space race. He set a goal of freeing the country from foreign oil by 2020 through research, development and production of alternative sources, which he said already are viable.

"I think the energy crisis is upon us," Reid said. "Even though gas prices have dropped some, by summertime, they will be over $3 a gallon again."

Reid said he will work with Democratic colleagues to expand domestically produced alternative energy that would increase America's national security, reduce high energy prices and improve the environment. He said he also expects support from Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, Senate and White House.

He also mentioned Powered By Renewables, a company that is developing a wind farm near Ely and is managed by Tim Carlton, as the type of business that would benefit from the energy program.

Reid made his announcement at the home of Chris Brooks, who manages the solar energy department at Bombard Electric.

Brooks not only makes his living selling renewable energy systems for Bombard but also relies on renewable energy for his residential power needs. He invested $4,000 insulating and weatherizing his five-year-old home and installed a $35,000, 4.2-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system that creates enough credits to eliminate any electric power consumption year-round. The photovoltaic systems convert sunlight into electricity.

He uses the system to run lights, appliances and air conditioning in a three-bedroom, 2,000-square-foot house. He uses natural gas for space heating but he figures the weatherization reduces his bills from Southwest Gas Corp.

On mild winter days like Wednesday, Brooks' photovoltaic system is creating more electricity than he is using, and the system feeds the excess back into the Nevada Power Co. grid for credits.

As a result, he only pays the $6 monthly customer charge that Nevada Power collects for connecting a house to the electrical grid.

Brooks figures a consumer could recover the cost of the solar system within 10 to 15 years. That doesn't count the added value to the property but he says the photovoltaic system value will depend on the cost of electricity when he sells it.

He figures he already recovered the cost of solar screens, insulation and weatherization, which he ordered when he bought the new home. He cut out-of-pocket costs by insisting on the least-expensive carpet available.

In addition to energy for power, Reid mentioned concerns about gasoline prices. He called for the federal government to reduce burdens on consumers through "oil company price gouging, market manipulation and disaster profiteering."

He advocated increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit, which benefits low-income workers, to help them pay high fuel bills. Reid favors a national electricity standard that requires greater use of renewable energy; incentives for wind, solar and geothermal power development; advocated "environmentally friendly extraction of oil and gas from existing domestic sources; and wanted a natural gas pipeline built to Alaska.

Reid rejected the idea of oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Natural Wildlife Refuge, saying it only contains enough oil to supply the country for six months.

The senator also favored energy conservation programs and reduction of carbon dioxide gas, which scientists say is causing global warming. Reid opposed conventional coal-fired power plants but favored coal gasification technology for power plants.