1 / 13

December 1, 2006

Presentation to the Nevada Agricultural Summit Renewable Energy Program. Tom Fair Executive for Renewable Energy. December 1, 2006. Introduction. Political, regulatory and public support for renewable energy is very strong in Nevada Nevada has an aggressive Portfolio Standard

zoey
Download Presentation

December 1, 2006

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Presentation to the Nevada Agricultural SummitRenewable Energy Program Tom FairExecutive for Renewable Energy December 1, 2006

  2. Introduction • Political, regulatory and public support for renewable energy is very strong in Nevada • Nevada has an aggressive Portfolio Standard • Abundant resources exist in Nevada to support the development of renewable energy • We estimate that over $2 billion will need to be spent on renewables by 2015 to meet the Nevada Standard • Companies are looking at Nevada renewables development as an important business opportunity • Sierra Pacific plans to participate in renewables projects as an investor, not just as a power off-taker • Sierra Pacific is encouraging renewable energy companies to develop projects in Nevada, and will assist by entering into joint development agreements with capable partners

  3. Nevada’s Portfolio Standard • Nevada requires 20% by 2015 - one of the most aggressive Standards in the U.S. • Based on energy (kWh) sales • Solar set-aside • DSM can make up ¼ of 20% • Stair-step standard multiplied by Sierra’s kWh sales growth means a large amount of new renewables will be added to our mix

  4. Strategy

  5. Organization

  6. Current Renewable Supplies • Sierra Pacific has a long history of renewable QF purchases • Renewable resources abundant in the North • New geothermal plants being developed in North • New solar plants in the South • A 500 kV transmission tie is planned for 2010 New Tie

  7. Near-Term Plans • We are planning a 170% increase in our renewable energy supplies by 2010 • Will add 5-10 new geothermal plants • A significant amount of wind energy is expected to enter the mix • Additional solar construction as well

  8. Geothermal Resource • Nevada ranks 2nd only to California in geothermal potential • 15 operating plants totaling 274 MW • Well-established, with a 20+ year history of resource exploration, characterization & development • Geothermal energy competes well with conventional supplies • Firm, not intermittent energy source • Churchill County has an abundant geothermal resource • A number of new geothermal generating plants are likely to be built in Churchill County in the coming years

  9. Solar Resource • Southern Nevada has an excellent resource • 64 MW Nevada Solar One solar thermal project under construction • Solar technologies are not yet ready to compete with other renewables on a pure economic basis, but are making strides • With Nevada Solar One, and other projects on the drawing boards, Nevada is poised to become No.1 in use of solar energy

  10. Wind Resource • Resource not comparable to Great Plains, but adequate • Must compete on price with geothermal • Intermittent energy • Siting issues: - rough terrain - federally owned lands - military use of airspace • Wind in Ely area facilitated by construction of new tie line

  11. Equipment Manufacturing Project Development Finance Construction Asset Ownership & Operation Renewables Value Chain • Global sourcing of equipment and components • U.S. and European specialists provide scientific, engineering, legal and financial expertise • Three distinct industries: 1) geothermal, 2) wind, and 3) solar (many flavors), and other niche technologies • Many big players are entering wind and solar, with varying degrees of vertical integration • Geothermal is an international industry, but Nevada has a strong position due to its resource potential, Ormat’s presence, and development history

  12. Project Economic Impacts • Highly capital-intensive; i.e., capital substitutes for fuel • Projects are located where the resource is strongest; mostly in rural communities • Property and sales tax payments • Construction phase infusion of dollars into local businesses • Ongoing payroll and expenditures for operation and maintenance; however these facilities are often lightly manned or unmanned. • Minimal environmental impacts

  13. Summary • By 2015 over $2 billion will be spent to quadruple our renewable supplies • Customers want it, policy-makers want it, and we want it! • We are taking an active role in developing renewable energy facilities • Nevada is leading the way on geothermal and solar development, and will soon add wind to its mix • Nevada will benefit from using its renewable energy resources

More Related