Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) to tap solar power. SNWA Board members will vote on a plan to install a 14MW solar panel array to help offset energy costs associated with pumping water. Because the solar panel array would be built and operated by SunEdison, SNWA would buy the power generated by the array over the next 20 years. In return, SNWA would receive renewable energy credits (RECs) which it could sell on the open market to recoup much of its purchase costs.
About the Solar Panel Array
The solar panel array would be built on 80 acres at the SNWA’s River Mountains Water Treatment Plant near Henderson. Currently SNWA gets hydropower from Hoover Dam and has a few solar arrays, but this would add substantially to their solar component of renewable energy. About 20% of the agency’s budget is for energy costs.
If the project is approved, it could be operational by next summer.
The full article appears in the Las Vegas Review Journal.
