Vol. 4, No. 9
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March 1, 2007
Nevada's Online State News Journal
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COPYWRITING
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Alternative And Renewable
Energy Discussed
Permitting Process May
Become A Bit Easier
by Johnny Gunn
Nevada's access to renewable energy sources hasn't always been a pleasant drive in the country, but there are signs that more emphasis may be placed on the effort to bring the state more renewable and alternative sources of energy. Governor Jim Gibbons signed an Executive Order supporting the development of renewable energy in the state, which is designed to streamline the permitting process for renewable energy projects. The Silver State is blessed with several hundred days of sunshine each year; with abundant geothermal systems that boil to the surface in many locations; and wind that can be harnessed and used for home, ranch, and commercial purposes.
For too many years the commercial energy available in Nevada has been produced either from coal fired, natural gas fired, or oil fired power plants and the use of alternative energy sources has been looked on as a pipe dream. When Ormat Industries built their geothermal systems in south Reno, many were willing to write the projects off as that of a "bunch of crazy environmentalists playing around." Ormat is one of the world's leaders in geothermal technology today and the power plant in south Reno is a commercial success. Energy developed at the plant is sold to Sierra Pacific Power Company and is immediately available on a primary grid.
Many believed that solar energy production might be limited to a few kooks putting funny looking black panels on the roofs of their homes and would never become a viable source of commercial energy. Solargenix has built a 64-megawatt solar plant in southern Nevada that is the envy of many energy companies. Not quite on line yet, the plant goes far beyond the roof top panels and many say there are hundreds of locations around Nevada where similar operations could be established. Solargenix will sell their energy to Nevada Power Company.
Dr. Hatice Gecol (his last name is pronounced Getchall) was a lead scientist at the Desert Research Institute at the University of Nevada when he was tapped by Governor Gibbons to become the Director of the Nevada Office of Energy, and is the energy advisor to Gibbons as well. Gecol spoke at a recent symposium on wind energy that was held in Reno, discussing the problems associated with wind farms as commercially viable sources of renewable energy. Wind farms must have a fairly constant source of wind, and this usually comes at the bottom ends of canyons and such.
Wind energy for individual ranches don't need that constant source, he said, but the biggest problem with wind as an energy source is the same as that faced by geothermal operations. The system must have access to a primary grid to be economically viable. A solar energy plant can be built with access to a primary grid but geothermal and wind plant locations are determined by the source of the energy not the grid. In his recent executive order, Gibbons said, "Streamlining the permitting process alone is not going to speed up the development of the renewable energy industry in Nevada. I have asked energy advisor Gecol to form a task force to identify issues related to grid access for the renewable energy industry and to make concrete recommendations to resolve these issues."
The economic impact of having to build transmission lines of extraordinary distances negates any savings a company might enjoy from developing an alternative energy source. Ormat admits that their success in large part is because the geothermal system they tapped in south Reno has immediate access to a primary grid. A geothermal plant near Lovelock and right alongside Interstate 80 has had the same economic value of being close to a primary grid. There are operating geothermal plants near Fallon with the same success.
Dr. Gecol, while still with the Desert Research Institute was investigating potential areas where wind farms might be viable. Among the most important things to look for, he said, was access to a major energy grid. "I'm very excited to see our governor take the lead on this important issue," Gecol said. "These are meaningful issues that will help with the development of renewable energy in Nevada." Gecol plans on making the State Office of Energy serve as a central informational resource for all renewable energy related permitting issues. "The permitting and grid access issues are at the core of developing our renewable energy base," he continued.
Nevada's energy companies are required to reach a certain level of renewable and alternative energy production and distribution and have been behind on a timetable established by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). A maximum of 15 percent renewable energy is expected to be online within the next few years. PUC's Donald Soderberg said, "Nevada has a tremendous untapped potential for renewable energy. Cutting red tape will help us accelerate the development of these important resources."
Nevada has a Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Task Force that has been working on energy issues for years. Chairman Russ Fields said he welcomes Gibbons' executive order. "Efforts to streamline the process of permitting renewable energy projects are extremely important in supporting the development of Nevada's abundant renewable energy resources," Fields said.
One thing that might speed the issue along is a recent law passed in neighboring California in which energy cannot be imported from other states if it came from coal fired power plants. There is an effort underway currently to build a transmission line from Ely in White Pine County to southern Nevada and to build two massive coal fired plants in Ely. The transmission line would tie the state together for the first time on primary energy grids. Sierra Pacific Resources operates Sierra Pacific Power Company in northern Nevada and Nevada Power Company in the southern part of the state. The two entities have not been able to share energy production in the past.
It was expected that the transmission line would extend into southern California and excess power could be sold to California entities. The new California rule will not allow for that. The Ely to Las Vegas transmission line was also to be tied to a long interstate transmission line extending from Montana through Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and into California. The intertie was designed to use power from traditional sources such as coal and natural gas, but also from wind, solar, and geothermal plants in the various states. How this will play out isn't certain at this time because of the California restrictions.
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