Nevada Legislature Advances Clean Energy Bill to Boost Solar, Wind

CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada Legislature on Friday delivered bipartisan backing to Senate Bill 132, passing it 14-6 in the Senate and 36-6 in the Assembly before forwarding it to Gov. Joe Lombardo for action by June 13. The bill appropriates $500,000 to the Nevada Clean Energy Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to lowering utility costs for families and small businesses through market-gap solutions in solar and wind energy. Proponents hailed the funding as a catalyst for Nevada's clean energy economy, aligning with the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard mandating 50% clean energy by 2030 and aspiring to 100% carbon-free power by 2050.[1][2][5] Nevada's renewable push traces back to earlier mandates, including a 25% renewable portfolio standard by 2025 that applied mainly to NV Energy, the state's dominant utility serving Las Vegas and Reno customers. Senate Bill 358, passed unanimously in prior sessions, expanded requirements to all providers — including rural cooperatives and power marketers — while phasing out energy efficiency credits by 2025. Current incentives like Portfolio Energy Credits allow solar homeowners to earn market-driven payments per kWh generated, with legacy systems from 2015 or earlier qualifying for multipliers up to 2.4 PECs per kWh, fueling a boom in utility-scale projects across the desert Mojave.[2][3][4] Local advocates emphasize SB132's role in addressing Nevada's energy challenges, from Reno's winter peaks to Las Vegas' summer air-conditioning surge. The Nevada Clean Energy Fund will deploy funds to support distributed generation, potentially saving households hundreds annually while creating jobs in Clark and Washoe counties. As Lombardo weighs the bill amid national debates on energy independence, the measure positions Nevada — already a solar leader with vast sunny acres — to meet its 2030 goal without hiking rates for ratepayers.[1][5] This legislative win comes as Nevada's clean energy sector matures, with commercial incentives driving massive installations like those near Nellis Air Force Base. Critics of past ballot initiatives, which narrowly missed enshrinement in 2020, now see statutory progress securing the 50% target. Lombardo's decision could accelerate wind farms in northern rangelands and rooftop solar in southern suburbs, cementing Nevada's pivot from fossil fuels.[2][4][7]