Southwestern Nevada lies along the longest diagonal state border in the US, stretching over 400 miles from the shores of Lake Tahoe to the Colorado River. This rugged terrain, home to peaks over 13,000ft, is crossed by numerous north-south mountain ranges and flanked by the Sierra Nevada Range along the border.
Nevada generates more solar power per capita than any other state in the country. The southern half of Nevada experiences >6kWh/m2 per day of solar radiation on average, and areas within the Mojave Desert reach >7kWh/m2 per day – the only location in North America to do so. This is equivalent to 7 hours per day of peak sunlight levels. Despite abundant utility scale development, the rooftop solar market in Nevada remains relatively limited. This market segment is hampered by an intermittent and limited capacity financial incentive program in combination with a less mature infrastructure for small to medium sized rooftop projects.
Regional Participants
The SSTI program will be helping to develop the rooftop solar potential through market transformation activities in the Western Nevada region. Our municipal partners include Lyon County, Nye County, City of Pahrump, and City of Gardnerville. These jurisdictions form the core of a region-wide effort aimed at creating a solar friendly business environment in Western Nevada. For specific information about any of our municipal partners, please select one of the jurisdictions in the left-hand column.
Finance Programs
| FEDERAL | US Department of Housing & Urban Development’s PowerSaver Loan Program offers eligible homeowners competitive interest rate loans for up to 20 years for renewable energy improvements |
| US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program provides grants & loan guarantees to agricultural producers and rural small businesses | |
| US Economic Development Administration offers federal grant funding opportunities for clean energy projects | |
| STATE | Nevada State Revolving Loan Program. Assembly Bill 522 established this program where all repayments on loans, and other income derived from loans, must be added back into the fund to be redistributed as additional loans |
| Third-party financing models, including solar PPAs & leases, are valid in Nevada for all sectors | |
| Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing programs are valid in Nevada, but there are currently no PACE programs operating or in development | |
| LOCAL | Umpqua Bank’s GreenStreet Lending Program is available to members in Reno |
| Check with your local or national bank about clean energy loans or lines of credit |
Nevada Solar Highlights
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General Solar Resources
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Regional Partners
Partners in the SSTI program include the Nevada Association of Counties, the State Energy Office, and the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
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