Nevada shines at summit

National Clean Energy Summit 7.0 brought good fortune to Nevada at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas last week. The event was staged by U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, in partnership with MGM Resorts International, University of Nevada — Las Vegas, Center for American Progress and the Clean Energy Project.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was the keynote speaker. She praised Nevada citizens for the progress they had made over the last seven years to create a more sustainable economy based on a five-fold growth in renewable energy resources since 2008. She also cited the state’s move into the 21st century by replacing the use of coal for electricity generation with cleaner-burning natural gas.

The state has also installed a “One Nevada” transmission line that will link the northern and southern electricity grids for the first time. Multiple solar, geothermal and wind projects have been installed over the past several years. State utilities, government and business partners will continue to ramp up five more large-scale renewable energy projects over the next year.

Amplifying the upbeat mood of the summit was the anticipation of a press conference in Carson City that same afternoon.

It featured Gov. Brian Sandoval, leaders of the Nevada state legislature and Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors.

At full production, the gigafactory should employ 6,500 people directly but leverage even more jobs throughout all of Nevada in support of logistics for the production.

These include raw lithium materials from the mining industry, value-added parts, manufacturing equipment and infrastructure development.

“This is great news for Nevada,” Gov. Brian Sandoval said. “Tesla will build the world’s largest and most advanced battery factory in Nevada, which means nearly $100 billion in economic impact to the Silver State over the next 20 years. I am grateful that Elon Musk and Tesla saw the promise in Nevada. These 21st century pioneers, fueled with innovation and desire, are emboldened by the promise of Nevada to change the world. Nevada is ready to lead.”

Speakers and discussion panels for this year’s National Clean Energy Summit 7.0 were drawn from federal, state and local governments, as well as business, academic and nonprofit organizations.

Several panels exchanged ideas about potential policies that would help the country achieve national goals of energy independence and self-reliance, including the use alternative-fuel transportation technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas and electricity.

A “Grid Partnerships” panel featured Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, NV Energy CEO Paul Caudill, and Patricia Wagner of Sempra U.S. Gas and Power.

Caudill announced that NV Energy continues to expand its mandated portfolio of renewable energy resources for electricity generation. As part of the Berkshire Hathaway Energy network of utilities, any excess renewable energy generated in Nevada that is not used by its local customers, can be sold to partner utilities in other states owned by the parent company, including California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.

NV Energy will also continue to promote the use of plug-in electric vehicles throughout Nevada in conjunction with its renewable energy generation programs.

A recent report by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project entitled “NV Energy: Leading the Way on Electric Vehicles,” was authored by transportation analyst Mike Salisbury.

“NV Energy seems to recognize that it is in their own best interest to develop this new market and advance the adoption of EVs,” Salisbury said. “We encourage other utilities to follow NV Energy’s lead and proactively support electric vehicles.”

Other alternative-fuel technologies showcased at the summit included products by Xtreme Green Electric Vehicles, Toyota Motor Co. of North America, GreenPower Motor Co. and Southwest Gas.

Xtreme Green Electric Vehicles in North Las Vegas produces rugged electric vehicles for off-road applications, including military and law enforcement equipment.

A “User-Friendly Clean Energy Panel” was moderated by Rose McKinney-James of the Clean Energy Project and included Lyndon Rive, who is a co-founder and CEO of SolarCity.

His company has grown from two employees, including his brother Peter, to more than 6,000 employees in 15 states. This year, the company has established a significant presence in Southern Nevada by employing more than 800 people in Las Vegas and Henderson.

SolarCity has created a new business model for the photovoltaic solar power industry, by allowing commercial business owners and consumers the option to buy electric power generated from solar photovoltaic panels mounted on their office building and home rooftops, at a lower cost that competes with utility rate prices.

Building owners do not have to pay a large “up front” cost for the installation of the panel array or materials, just agree to provide the space on their rooftops for a contracted time of use.

From September 15-21, plug-in electric car owners in the Las Vegas Valley will be participating in National Drive Electric Week 2014 with more than 100 other cities nationwide.

On Sept. 20, the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association, Las Vegas Tesla Owners Group, Frank’s European Service, the Hybrid Shop as well as other members of the local EV community will be hosting an “Electric Juice Bar Crawl” at the Springs Preserve from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event will give visitors an opportunity to ride in electric cars and tour other local recharging sites in town that are providing electricity at no cost to EV owners for the next four years: https://driveelectricweek.org/event.php?eventid=174