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Electricity generated by geothermal energy in northern Nevada was first delivered to Sierra Pacific's customers in 1984. The amount of electricity generated by renewable energy continues to climb each year. Today, over 10 percent of all the electricity Sierra Pacific delivers to our customers is from renewable energy sources.
In 2001, the Nevada Legislature enacted laws requiring Nevada utilities to generate or acquire a certain percentage of renewable energy resources for use in serving their customers within the state. Sierra Pacific, already a leader in the nation with renewable energy resources, exceeded the requirement for non-solar renewable resources, according to Colin Duncan, Power and Fuel Contract Consultant.
In addition, Sierra Pacific has signed contracts with a solar supplier to provide solar-generated electricity by the year 2005. To further promote renewable resources, laws enacted over the past few years have enabled customers to generate electricity from renewable resources to serve their own needs, usually through rooftop solar systems and small wind turbines.
If customers generate more electricity than they require, the excess is fed back to Sierra Pacific and returned later when the customers need it. This process is called net-metering and currently 22 customers are generating their own power.
With Nevada's plentiful sunshine, prevalent winds, geothermal and other renewable resources, it's no wonder we are in the forefront of renewable energy development.
"Renewable energy resources are a welcome addition to our power portfolio," Colin said. "As more of these plants are built in Nevada each year, they will not only help meet the state's growing needs for energy, but also provide a boon to our state's economy."
