Bring back my solar job, lawmakers

By Connie Berry

Wednesday, April 5, 2017 | 2 a.m.

As a mother, it was hard enough for me to lose a job when people depended on me. What made it even worse was that the job I lost strengthened communities, created economic opportunities and was supposed to be part of a flourishing industry: rooftop solar. And to top it all off, the reason it went away was purely political. It turned out that bureaucrats in the previous Public Utilities Commission were willing to kill my job just to protect NV Energy — a utility and a big corporation — from competition.

In December of 2015, the commission increased the cost to go solar by 50 percent by passing new fees and eliminating net metering, a policy that allows solar customers to sell energy they create back to the grid. Overnight, the rooftop solar industry in Nevada collapsed. We went from having the highest per capita of solar jobs in the nation to laying off 2,600 workers — many of us right before the holidays.

But now the Legislature is back in session and we have a chance to bring rooftop solar back — and with it, jobs and the ability to create and own our energy. Net metering and community solar legislation is being considered right now, but we only have a few days for the Nevada Legislature to act or lose our chance for two more years.

Nevada is at a crossroads: Will we take advantage of the enormous wealth opportunity offered by solar and take control of our own electricity generation, or will we be held back by incumbent energy generators? Who will benefit from that wealth? Big corporations or folks like me?

Our casinos are already placing their bets. Both MGM Resorts and the Wynn Resorts paid a fee to leave NV Energy behind and moved to solar because it just made sense. And it makes sense for many Nevadans across the state; not only is solar a smart economic move, but moving away from dirty, expensive energy will also keep our air, water and climate healthy. What’s there not to like? That’s why more than 2,300 Nevadans signed a petition, organized by ClimateTruth.org and Presente, expressing support for strong rooftop solar policies, which was delivered to the Assembly this week before the Commerce and Labor Committee voted on AB 270, a bill that would resurrect rooftop solar in Nevada by extending net metering to an unlimited number of customers.

I’m a hard worker who needs to provide for my family. I’ve found other jobs to make ends meet, but I haven’t lost sight of what rooftop solar back can do for our state. The solar industry employs more people in the U.S. than oil, coal and gas combined. We don’t have big fossil fuel reserves in our state, but we do have energy falling from the sky. All we need is a legislature to understand this enormous opportunity. It’s time for Nevada politicians to do their jobs so I can get back to mine.

Connie Berry lives in Las Vegas. Her commentary was submitted by ClimateTruth.org, a California-based firm that advocates for renewable energy.