Sunday, April 11, 2021 | 2 a.m.
View more of the Sun's opinion section
As a native Nevadan, I care deeply about our state and its future, especially with regards to topics relating to the environment, energy and our economy.
I’ve spoken to many people who’ve helped put into perspective just how much these three things interconnect and how we could address them together — by switching our public transportation over to electric buses powered by local solar energy. This, in addition to putting solar panels on top of buildings, bus stops and parking lots, as opposed to building new solar farms, would create the energy we need with a smaller geographical footprint.
A switch to electric buses powered by solar energy would address the need to build infrastructure for the energy required to accommodate our growing state. It would also protect the desert environment, the water table which flows underneath it, and our overall water security —all while producing clean energy to support an improved public transportation system that’s energy-efficient and reduces carbon emissions.
By making public transportation more accessible and solar power more attractive and available, we could reduce the number of cars on the road, create clean energy jobs, lower the consumer cost of solar, and address climate change. It seems like an important step to make in our state to address multiple issues. We have to protect our public lands and water, grow and diversify our state economy, switch to renewable energy, and improve public transportation. But we have to do so in a sustainable way, where we consider all factors.
