Author Archives: NCL

By William Pentland |December 27, 2015 On Wednesday, Nevada’s Public Utility Commission (PUC) radically revised the state’s net-energy metering (NEM) rules, which determine the price utilities pay for electricity supplied by customer-sited solar panels to utilities. Under the revised NEM rules, utilities will pay significantly less for electricity purchased from customers with rooftop solar panels thanContinue reading “Buffett’s Bolshevik: Dissecting NV Energy’s Soviet-Style Sabotage Of Distributed Energy”

By Steve Trenholm and Mick Baird |December 24, 2015 Gov. Brian Sandoval’s renewable energy leadership continues to position Nevada as a clean energy economic growth engine. Recently, the governor directed state agencies to begin working toward Clean Power Plan compliance, reducing carbon pollution from existing power plants. “By pursuing the strategy, we will … provideContinue reading “Nevada uniquely positioned to lead nation on renewable energy”

By Katie Fehrenbacher |December 24, 2015 The largest solar installer in the U.S., SolarCity, said on Wednesday that it will stop selling and installing solar panels on rooftops across Nevada after the state’s regulator approved a new plan to add fees and lower compensation for owners of home and commercial solar systems. SolarCity’s CEO Lyndon RiveContinue reading “Why SolarCity Plans to Ditch Nevada”

By Julia Pyper |December 23, 2015 The Nevada Public Utility Commission voted unanimously in favor of a new solar tariff structure on Tuesday that industry groups say will destroy the Nevada solar market, one of the fastest-growing markets in the country. The decision increases the fixed service charge for net-metered solar customers, and gradually lowers compensationContinue reading “Nevada Regulators Eliminate Retail Rate Net Metering for New and Existing Solar Customers”

By Sarah Cottrell Propst |December 17, 2015 The production tax credit (PTC) and investment tax credit (ITC) – the two primary federal incentives for renewable power development – have both played pivotal roles in helping Nevada tap its renewable energy resources, including geothermal, solar, and wind. These incentives have helped the renewable energy sector meet 24Continue reading “One View: Extend clean energy tax credits for Nevada’s future”

By Anne Macquarie |December 15, 2015 I like to conserve energy — for the sake of my wallet and for the sake of the environment. NV Energy tells me my home uses much less energy than most similar homes in my area. Not bad. But I want to get to 100 percent clean energy, so I’veContinue reading “Fresh Ideas: ‘Please, sir, I want more clean energy’”

By Coral Davenport |December 12, 2015 LE BOURGET, France — With the sudden bang of a gavel Saturday night, representatives of 195 nations reached a landmark accord that will, for the first time, commit nearly every country to lowering planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions to help stave off the most drastic effects of climate change. The deal, whichContinue reading “Nations Approve Landmark Climate Accord in Paris”

By Steve Sebelius |December 6, 2015 Friday was a good day for Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval. During a meeting of the Western Governors’ Association in Las Vegas, Sandoval met on the sidelines with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. The subject: A list of concerns over efforts to protect the sage grouse, a chicken-size, ground-dwelling bird with habitatContinue reading “Sandoval gets results on sage grouse — without lawsuits”

By Michelle Rindels |December 5, 2015 RENO — The U.S. Interior Department has agreed to defer to new, higher quality maps of sage grouse habitat in Nevada that correct glaring inaccuracies in earlier federal maps that showed the birds living near urban areas in Reno and Sparks and threatened development on the drawing board for years,Continue reading “Sandoval: New sage grouse maps allow for school near Reno”