Edwards touts energy plan

As he stood Wednesday in front of a 45-foot-tall array of solar panels at UNLV, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said Nevada would be one of the states to benefit most from his energy policy if he is elected.

Edwards' energy plan includes a call for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050 and for the creation of 1 million "green-collar" jobs.

His plan also calls for doubling the budget of the Department of Energy and boosting alternative-energy research and training in schools, community colleges and universities.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas College of Engineering and Center for Energy Research has enjoyed millions of dollars in private and federal funding in alternative-energy research.

"This kind of work is so crucial" in showing that energy isn't just an abstract idea, Edwards said.

Bob Boehm, director of UNLV's Center for Energy Research, gave Edwards a tour of the university's Solar Site, a collection of solar-generating units visible from Flamingo Road near Swenson Street.

The tour included a look at indoor light bulbs that run on solar power and the site's nearly five-story photovoltaic system, which produces enough energy to power eight to 10 homes.

Boehm said he hadn't analyzed Edwards' energy plan but added that any candidate for president must have some plan to increase funding of alternative energy.

Edwards' plan includes cutting oil imports by 7.5 million barrels per day and drawing 25 percent of the nation's energy from renewable sources by 2025.

The plan also would create a $13 billion fund to pay for research and assistance for workers going into the field of renewable energy. The fund would be financed by ending tax subsidies for oil companies and requiring greenhouse gas polluters to purchase permits.

College of Engineering Dean Eric Sandgren said alternative energy technologies could become the next boon for engineering, similar to how the space race and the Cold War spawned thousands of engineers.