Rows of photovoltaic solar panels are quietly turning sunlight into electricity at Carson City’s Wastewater Reclamation Facility on East Fifth Street.

The panels are expected to generate about 540,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. That’s enough energy to power 60 homes in northern Nevada for a year, and the 300-kilowatt solar array will reduce the city’s carbon emissions by approximately 400 tons per year. 

At a Carson City Earth Week event on Wednesday, Mayor Robert Crowell and other city officials will be presented with a $1,410,000 rebate check from NV Energy’s SolarGenerations program to offset installation costs. The city will also be presented with a $141,000 rebate for a 30-kilowatt solar array at the city’s corporate yard.

The 1:30 p.m. event will be held at the Wastewater Reclamation Facility located at 3320 East Fifth St. in Carson City.

PacificWest Energy Solutions, Inc. handled development, design and construction management for both of the Carson City projects.

The SolarGenerations program was established by the Nevada Legislature to encourage homeowners, businesses, schools and public agencies to invest in renewable energy. Since the start of the program in 2004, more than 1,300 projects capable of generating 30 megawatts of electricity have been installed statewide and $126 million has been paid in rebates. 

SolarGenerations rebates are offered through NV Energy’s RenewableGenerations program, which also offers rebates for solar water heating, wind turbines and small hydroelectric installations. For more details, visit www.nvenergy.com.