Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

GUEST COLUMN:

Cultivating clean energy is integral to the future of Nevada

Over the past year, the Latin Chamber of Commerce has made it clear that one of our top priorities is making sure Nevada’s small-business community can access affordable, reliable electricity at low rates. That’s why we were so vocally against Ballot Question 3 in the last election.

Now, as we head into the 2019 legislative session, we will have the opportunity to engage in even more conversations around clean energy. The clean energy sector presents important opportunities to small businesses, in long-term cost savings, job growth and economic diversification.

We already know clean energy has the potential to reduce consumers’ monthly electric bills given the low solar energy prices obtained by NV Energy in its recently approved plan to bring an additional 1001 megawatts of solar and, for the first time, 100 megawatts of utility-scale battery storage to our state. And, with more innovative technology coming online, such as batteries being built by Tesla here in Nevada, affordable clean energy will soon be available around the clock.

We also believe that advancing clean energy developments will be good for business. This is a booming industry with room to grow, creating good jobs in construction, installation, contracting, maintenance and more. As we scale up our deployment of clean energy, thousands of jobs will be created. This will diversify our economy, ensuring a financially stronger Nevada. We are proud to welcome clean energy jobs and revenues to our state.

There’s no doubt the Legislature is slated to consider different ways to deploy more clean energy in the upcoming session, including raising the Renewable Portfolio Standard.

Increasing Nevada’s renewable energy standard while ensuring energy rates remain among the lowest in the nation is a smart and important move. Not only did a majority of Nevada voters support Question 6, to raise our current standard to 50 percent by 2030, but NV Energy has already said this is achievable. Several Republican and Democratic legislators have expressed public support for the proposal, as has Gov. Steve Sisolak. Setting a higher standard would send a strong signal that Nevada is pushing ahead with its clean energy leadership. This, along with appropriate regulatory and consumer oversight, gives investors confidence to bring their business here.

With Nevada’s abundant sunshine, wind power and geothermal potential, and many companies innovating in clean technologies, investing in clean energy just makes sense. We must continue to capitalize on those benefits and help the small businesses that keep our economy running. If we can lower costs for businesses while responding to the increasing demand for affordable clean energy that help the sustainability of our communities, then we support any such proposals. We’re looking forward to helping the Legislature continue to build our state’s clean energy future during the 2019 session.

Peter Guzman is president and CEO of the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce.