Vol. 4, No. 7
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February 1, 2007
Nevada's Online State News Journal
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Feature Story:
Alternative Energy May Be
Big Player In This Session
Many Are Recognizing The Benefits
Offered By Wind, Sun, Hot Water
by Johnny Gunn
Despite all the poor public relations Solargenix has brought upon itself while building Nevada's largest solar energy producing system, the legislature will be taking long looks at many projects and ideas surrounding alternative energy in the Silver State, as well they should. Nevada is blessed with hundreds of days of sunshine each year, has multiple geothermal systems throughout the state, and anyone who has been in Nevada for more than ten minutes is aware that the Washoe Zephyr can be clocked in triple digits from time to time. In other words, Nevada is ripe to lead the nation in alternative power.
During his State of the State message, Governor Jim Gibbons called for more alternative energy use and for the state to investigate the use of gasified coal in energy production. (See article on gasification of coal in the news pages of this issue.) Gibbons has appointed Hatice Gecol as Director of the Nevada State Office of Energy and Energy/Science Advisor to the governor. Gecol will serve on the Governor's executive staff as well.
In a prepared statement, Gibbons said, "Alternative energy development and energy independence has been a priority of mine since entering public service and I intend to continue fostering pro-growth policies as Governor." He said he expects Gecol to work with energy specialists to promote greater energy independence in Nevada. Gecol has been serving as Associate Professor in the Chemical, Metallurgical Engineering Department at the University of Nevada. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma.
Lawmakers decreed several years ago that public utilities in Nevada must reach a level of at least 20 percent renewable energy within their system by 2020. Sierra Pacific Resources is t he parent company of Sierra Pacific Power Company in northern Nevada and Nevada Power Company in the south. At this point, the companies are behind in their scheduled levels of alternative energy production and delivery despite favorable tax breaks. Companies such as Ormat Geothermal have systems on line and large solar generating systems are being built.
Often, when we think of alternative energy resources we think large, as Solargenix has done in southern Nevada. Their plant will produce 64 megawatts of electricity when finished and represent a major solar energy system in the state. In the north, Ormat Geothermal has several large geothermal systems in Reno, others near Fallon, and more being planned. Hundreds of megawatts of energy are produced in Nevada by Ormat. The Desert Research Institute at University of Nevada is working with several companies to develop wind farms in areas of central and southeastern Nevada. To reach that magical 20 percent should not be a difficult project for Sierra Pacific Resources.
There's another piece to this puzzle that is being looked at by legislators familiar with tax and energy law, and that's the individual creating energy on a small scale, using that energy and selling to the major utilities anything in excess of personal use. There are credits and tax savings available, and several legislators are looking into creating specific Nevada savings programs as well. The systems we are most familiar with are the use of solar panels for home and small business use, but wind power is already a big player in other part of the country and many believe it can be in Nevada as well.
In art work and photographs from the 19th Century, a windmill standing over a watering trough is natural, but when broad distribution of electricity came to be (cheap, efficient, clean electricity), the windmills went out of use, rotted, and fell apart. Today many small farmers and ranchers, particularly in the midwest and northeast are rediscovering the windmill. The new turbines are far more efficient than what our pioneer forefathers erected, and the broad distribution of electricity isn't as cheap as it used to be. Using a small turbine to generate electricity for the home and barn can save a family big bucks according to many sources such as the American Wind Energy Association. Some ranchers also use the windmills to irrigate their land, and yes, they are still used to pump water from wells.
When utility companies are discussing wind energy they are looking at what are called wind farms, large tracts of land covered with turbines sitting atop looming towers and generating megawatts of electricity. A source of almost constant wind is needed for such an array to be economically efficient, but industry leaders say it isn't that critical for a farm or ranch application. For a farm or ranch wind turbine to work, the winds should rise above seven to ten miles per hour on a regular basis. Below that speed, no electrical power is generated and power to the ranch house would be purchased from a utility. Most homes use about 9,400 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, about 780 per month and a wind turbine rated at 5-15 kilowatts would be required to make a significant contribution according to the American Wind Power Association.
As wind speeds increase, the American Wind Energy Association says, turbine output increases and the amount of power purchased from the utility is proportionately decreased. When the turbine produces more power than the house needs, the extra electricity is sold to the utility. The pleasure is that this is all done automatically. A small wind turbine can generate savings of 50 percent to 90 percent according to the association.
Electricity costs vary widely based on area, but in the midwest, many small farms have reduced their energy costs to eight dollars to fifteen dollars per month for most of the year. Air conditioning changes the equation somewhat.
Small turbines can be purchased and installed for between $6,000 and $22,000 and are virtually maintenance free. Over the years users have found they have recouped their costs within six to 15 years. Are small turbines a good investment in Nevada? Utility companies looking to build large wind farms need a good supply of fairly constant wind for operating at a profit, but on a farm or ranch, most would say that Nevada areas are very good for small turbine operations.
Assemblymen Joe Hardy (R-Boulder City) and David Bobzien (D-Reno) are working on legislation that will help enable farmers and ranchers to use wind powered energy for their homes and barns. Small operations are welcomed by the utilities, and along with existing state and federal legislation, Nevada will probably see more and more small turbines being erected in rural agricultural areas.
Other legislation dealing with alternative energy sources looks to have wind generated electricity used to power schools and possibly government complexes. Combining sources such as solar and wind can create a cost free energy source in many cases. According to industry sources, the technology available today allows wind and solar generated power to be used immediately. In the past, solar and other home generated power had to go through storage batteries before it could be used. This isn't so today; when enabled, the power is immediately on the system. If there is more energy generated than is being used, the surplus goes onto the utility's grid and the utility pays the homeowner for it.
One of the problems with solar energy that is often not discussed is the fact there is no generation of power at night. If solar sources are coupled with wind or geothermal, a 24-hour system is immediately available. For small farms and ranches, this is a source of investment that should be looked into. The legislature is already planning for that and the governor has offered his backing.
At the federal level, President Bush announced plans during his State of the Union speech "to wean the country from foreign oil dependence through the use of alternative energy resources." For more information at the federal level, go to http://www.energybusinessreports.com.
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