Reid supported State’s application with letter of support in August

December 2, 2011

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid today announced that the team headed by the Nevada State Office of Energy (NSOE) was selected as one of 22 nationwide winners in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Rooftop Solar Challenge to focus on expediting the installation of residential and commercial solar energy and create even more clean energy jobs in Nevada.

The Nevada team will receive $765,000 and serve as a model for solar energy development for other communities across the country. Reid sent a letter to DOE vouching for the Nevada team’s application because it has the potential to make solar electricity more cost-competitive and create or project jobs.

“These funds will help transform the Nevada energy market and help make it easier and more affordable for homeowners and businesses to go solar,” Reid said.  “This award will support more than a thousand jobs while continuing the rapid development of Nevada’s clean energy industry. I look forward to Nevadans finding jobs working on solar projects as they become more cost-effective for homes and businesses.”

This grant will:

• Streamline processes for solar energy projects around the state 
• Make rooftop solar installations cost-effective for residents and business owners
• Create or protect more than 1,000 jobs

The goal of the team headed by the NSOE is to streamline and standardize the permitting and interconnection process for rooftop solar systems to allow for installations to be completed within two months of approval and to increase market penetration of rooftop solar systems to at least five percent of all single family homes and businesses in Nevada.  These projects models will likely be highly transferable throughout the nation and help to solidify Nevada’s leadership in clean energy deployment.

The statewide Nevada team consists of: Nevada State Office of Energy; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Truckee Meadow Community College; NV Energy; Southern Nevada Water Authority; Public Utilities Commission; Clark County; and Cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, and Reno.  For more information, visit the Rooftop Solar Challenge website and the SunShot Initiative website.

The Department of Energy’s Sun Shot Initiative is a collaborative national initiative to make solar energy cost competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade. Reducing the installed cost of solar energy systems by about 75 percent will drive widespread, large-scale adoption of this renewable energy technology and U.S. leadership in the global clean energy race.

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