Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

guest column:

Sun is abundant in Nevada; we must put it to work

I have called Las Vegas home for nearly my entire life. This city has changed and grown tremendously over the years. But one of the things that have not changed is the sun; it is a constant and powerful force in Nevada.

It makes sense that our families, businesses, churches and schools should have the opportunity to capture the sun’s energy and turn it into light, heat, hot water and electricity, allowing our community to save money. Solar energy is clean energy that does not pollute our air, consume massive amounts of water or contribute to climate change.

Unfortunately, our ability to use the sun to produce energy and reduce pollution is at risk.

Last week, I joined faith and business leaders, youths and others to call on the Public Utility Commission of Nevada to protect our access to rooftop solar. In a few weeks, the PUC will make a decision regarding net metering — an essential program that makes the transition to clean energy affordable and accessible. Net metering enables people who produce more energy than they consume from their rooftop solar system to sell it back to the utility. This program encourages people to make the switch to clean energy; gives us incentive to use less energy; saves money; and protects our air, water and climate.

There’s another reason I support rooftop solar and net metering. I support it because low-income communities of color have been disproportionately affected by our utilities’ and polluters’ outdated ways of producing electricity. Roughly 1 out of every 2 Hispanics in the United States lives in areas that frequently violate clean-air rules, according to National Latino Coalition on Climate Change. A new study found that 66 percent of Hispanics in Nevada believe climate change is caused by human activities such as electricity production.

Across the country, utility companies and polluters are attacking solar energy. Meanwhile, electricity customers want to make the switch to clean energy. Our health, our jobs and our future are threatened by rapidly changing climate that is endangering everyone on our planet. We no longer have the luxury of doing nothing.

Our state has been a national leader in developing an innovative clean-energy economy that has brought us new economic opportunities. We cannot afford to go backward. Progress means we need rooftop solar on every home, apartment, church, school and hospital. For our future and that of future generations, we must do everything we can to embrace solutions to climate change. Here in Nevada, that means our PUC needs to embrace net metering, so we can put the sun to work on rooftops across Nevada.

Rudy Zamora is program director of Chispa Nevada, a Nevada-based organizing program of the League of Conservation Voters.

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