NV Energy is hosting a free luncheon and workshop in Elko for customers interested in installing small hydroelectric power systems. The company’s HydroGenerations program offers financial incentives for qualifying “micro hydro” projects.

The workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Red Lion Hotel and Casino, 2065 Idaho Street. Detailed program information will be available, and customers will have the opportunity to meet with contractors and vendors who supply the equipment used to construct small hydroelectric systems. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Nevada State Office of Energy will be available to discuss funding options.

NV Energy agricultural customers and Nevada Indian tribes with access to water supplies and established water rights are eligible to participate. The program is available to both “net metering” and “non-net metering” customers. Net metering customers generate electricity only for their own use and earn credits toward their electric bills for excess supplies sent into the electric grid. Non-net metering customers – those who have water resources but do not need the electricity for themselves – can sell their hydroelectric power directly to NV Energy.

HydroGenerations rebates range from $2 to $3.25 per watt depending on whether the customer is engaged in a profit or nonprofit enterprise, and whether the customer will be net metered or non-net metered. Participants can earn rebates for a maximum of 200 kilowatts (or 200,000 watts). The HydroGenerations incentive program is open and NV Energy is currently accepting applications for both customer categories.

Since the start of the HydroGenerations program, six micro hydro projects, capable of generating a combined total of 595 kilowatts of electricity, have been installed in Nevada and $1.4 million in rebates has been paid to NV Energy electric customers who have invested in this form of renewable energy.

Anyone interested in attending should RSVP by calling the NV Energy RenewableGenerations program toll free at (866) 786-3823 or visit the NV Energy RenewableGenerations website, NVEnergy.com/renewablegenerations.com.