Nevada Job Openings Supported by Solar Initiative

Anyone seeking a Nevada job may soon have better luck finding positions in the solar industry.

Gov. Jim Gibbons recently announced that the State of Nevada will dramatically increase its use of solar power, and is working with the State Office of Energy to complete a Request for Proposals, which will be used to develop solar energy systems at multiple state agency sites.

"This is a giant step toward my goal of making Nevada a leader in solar energy development" Gibbons said. "We will lead by example and make use of clean solar power for state buildings. We will save taxpayers millions of dollars in utility costs."

The general goal is to place solar energy panels on state property, including large state parking lots. Power from those panels will then be used to provide low-cost energy to nearby state buildings, which will result in savings for taxpayers.

While the request also will include the use of vacant state land for solar energy development, any plans would require the installation of removable solar energy panels, in order to allow for future development of state or other buildings.

The project will be entirely funded through private contributions, and any companies bidding on the project will be paid with state funds meant to pay for electric power from utility companies. And because solar power is less expensive than commercial power, state taxpayers will benefit from the savings.

The Nevada State Office of Energy has already identified some state-owned sites where solar energy panels could be installed, including:

• Carson City - NDOT parking lot and parking lot between NDOT and DPS; undeveloped land behind DMV & DPS (not including paved areas); Bryan building parking lots and undeveloped land east of Bryan building
• Sparks - Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health Complex
• Reno - Galletti Way DMV
• Clark County - DMV sites, including: Henderson, Flamingo Road, and Decatur Boulevard
• Las Vegas - Grant Sawyer building’s parking lots; parking lots for DETR, B&I, DMV, and NDOA, as well as some undeveloped land between E. Sahara and E. St. Louis; parking lots and some undeveloped land between W. Charleston and W. Oakey Boulevard
• Nevada - Department of Corrections sites statewide