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More Nevada Businesses Look Skyward For Power

During the last year, and more, we’ve heard a lot about homeowners putting solar panels on their roof. Businesses have also been adopting the technology, too, and for a variety of reasons.

Len Christopher is the general manager for Republic Services new recycling center, which will get 15 percent of its power from solar. He told KNPR's State of Nevada that it was a "sound business decision" to add a solar array to the new plant. 

According to Christopher, the solar panels will save the company $80,000 a year. 

MGM Resorts International's vice president of corporate sustainability Chris Brophy agrees that the decision to put one of the largest solar arrays in the country on a rooftop of Mandalay Bay was a business decision.

The array now accounts for about 20 percent of the resort's peak demand for power. It produces enough power to energize 1,000 homes. 

"At MGM resorts, we really pride ourselves on being leaders in enviromental responsibility and one natural way to show our leadership was through nobel energy," Brophy said.

Cory Honeyman is a senior analyst at GTM Research. He said whether a business adopts solar really depends on whether it can hit a key benchmark.

"If you can lock in at least a 10 percent year-one discount on your electricity bill by going solar, that's the right kind of fit," Honeyman said.

He said more and more businesses have been investing in solar over the past five years as the cost for panels has dropped dramatically.

"A lot of the demand has been heating up as we have seen the cost of rooftop solar drop anywhere between 40 and 50 percent over the past several years," he said.

A little under 1,000 businesses have installed solar in Nevada, which puts us in the top 15 states for solar across the country, according to Honeyman. While you might think our near constant sunshine would encourage more solar use, Honeyman says incentives to use solar is an important reason why businesses choose to install arrays.

 

 

Chris Brophy, Vice President of Corporate Sustainability at MGM Resorts International; Len Christopher, General Manager/Recycling Division for Southern Nevada,   Republic Services; Cory Honeyman, Senior Analyst at GTM Research

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Since June 2015, Fred has been a producer at KNPR's State of Nevada.