Since early this year, the national conversation about energy security has been supercharged, as has interest in domestic renewable energy sources. Nevada is at the forefront of these discussions, and rightly so.
In 2021, renewable energy resources accounted for 33 percent of Nevada’s in-state electricity net generation. Open deserts and a strong mining industry combine to give Nevada the greatest potential for solar energy of any state in the country, something I saw firsthand as the commanding officer at Nellis Air Force Base shortly after the Nellis solar power plant began operations. There are numerous golden opportunities for renewable energy in the Silver State, which positions Nevada to lead both the region and the country in widespread adoption of renewable energy technologies.
Solar energy already plays a large role in Nevada’s energy supply, and expanding solar capacity even further remains crucial to decarbonizing Nevada’s energy sector. In order to make this expansion possible, the state must be able to source necessary materials for the construction of solar photovoltaic cells, the most critical of which is lithium.