May 27 2009
OBAMA PLANS TO INVEST IN SOLAR POWER AT AIR BASE
President Obama talked today about investing money into solar power sources, holding up the Nellis Air Force Base as a prime example of where such environmentally-friendly sources work practically.The air base, a huge facility in Las Vegas, is the site of the largest solar electric plant of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. There are more than 72 thousand solar panels built on part of an old landfill. The facility provides about a quarter of the electricity for the 12 thousand people who live and work on-base.
“That’s the equivalent of powering about 13,200 homes during the day,” Obama said. “It’s a project that took about half a year to complete, created 200 jobs, and will save the U.S. Air Force, which is the largest consumer of energy in the federal government, nearly $1 million a year.”
The facility reduces harmful carbon pollution by 24 thousand tons annually. According to Obama, that’s the equivalent of removing four-thousand cars from the roads.
“We’ll invest in the development and deployment of solar technology wherever it can thrive,” Obama said, “and we’ll find the best way to integrate solar power into our electric grid.”
“Most importantly,” Obama said, “this base serves as a shining example of what’s possible when we harness the power of clean, renewable energy to build a new, firmer foundation for economic growth.”
Obama said he would like to see this technology spread across the United States, he said, “because in this case, what happens in Vegas should not stay in Vegas.”
Jay Todd can be reached at jtodd@uno.edu
