New solar panels are reducing the Regional Transportation Commission’s (RTC) energy costs and their carbon footprint.

 Representatives from NV Energy’s RenewableGenerations program are presenting a $780,656 solar rebate to RTC at the agency’s March 18 Board of Directors Meeting in Reno. The RTC will also receive a rebate check for $34,684 from NV Energy’s Sure Bet program to help offset costs for installing energy saving lights and making other energy efficiency improvements.

 “We invested about $1.7 million in federal stimulus money in construction at the various facilities using local workers, including electricians, excavators, crane operators and steel fabricators, who all went back to work for this project. This savings is money in our budget that will help protect transit service funded by local sales taxes,” said Angela White, RTC director of marketing and communications.

 The solar photovoltaic panels installed at RTC’s Sutro Street and Terminal Way facilities in Reno can generate up to 200 kilowatts of electricity.  They are expected to reduce RTC’s annual energy usage by 400,000 kilowatt hours, an annual savings of approximately $40,000.

 Energy Efficiency Savings

Energy efficiency improvements done through NV Energy’s Sure Bet program are expected to reduce RTC’s power usage by nearly 899,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, resulting in an annual savings of approximately $89,900.

 The combined energy savings from the solar projects and energy efficiency upgrades will reduce RTC’s carbon footprint by approximately 974 tons per year. 

 The RenewableGenerations rebate program was created by the Nevada State Legislature in 2003 to encourage Nevadans to install photovoltaic panels on rooftops. Since then, the program has been expanded to include small wind turbines, solar water heating and micro-hydroelectric installations. Sure Bet provides financial incentives to large commercial energy users who invest in energy efficient equipment and lighting.