The future of Nevada's energy system was one of the major issues of the 2017 legislative session, and lawmakers passed a whole slew of changes.
There were more than a dozen clean energy bills when the session started. The governor eventually signed nine of those into law, changing policies regarding rooftop solar to electric cars, but the main theme from both sides of the aisle was pushing Nevada toward a cleaner energy future.
"Electricity is the cleanest fuel available to Nevadans," Southwest Energy Efficiency Project representative Tom Polikalas said. "It's also the cheapest. So every time somebody drives an electric vehicle that means we are displacing that equal amount of gasoline that would be imported to Nevada. We don't produce gasoline. We can produce electricity. So we are shifting from an import to something that we produce locally."
One of the hallmarks of the clean energy slate this year was re-establishing favorable net metering rates for rooftop solar customers. This increases the amount they get reimbursed for the power they generate, which helps them pay off their solar panels. A 2015 change in this rate effectively shut down the rooftop solar industry in Nevada. Companies are already announcing plans to move back, now that the new policy is in place.
Lawmakers also approved new incentives for more electric vehicle charging stations, to encourage Nevadans to buy electric.
Two bills also created new programs to help Nevadans make their homes and businesses more energy efficient.
"Good things are coming," Polikalas said, "and really it's going to be something that will benefit thousands of people as we move forward into 2018, into 2019."
To learn more, tune in for Face the State this weekend. It's airing Saturday at 4:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 6:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Episodes are also posted here after they air.
