Las Vegas Sun:
Some statistics about Copper Mountain Solar, a 775,000-panel array outside Boulder City that went online last year as the largest photovoltaic solar plant in the United States, might seem surprising.
And not in a good way.
Temporary construction jobs created: 350. Not bad.
Nevadans employed: 262. That’s a good share.
Solar power coming to Nevada: 0. Zip.
Parts manufactured in Nevada: 0. Zilch.
Permanent jobs created: 5. That’s not a typo. State incentives developer Sempra Generation received: $12 million. That’s not a typo, either.
Gov. Brian Sandoval says the public money was well spent. “Every job is a great job,” Sandoval said when asked if the benefits of the project justify the incentives. “It’s the essence of what we are trying to accomplish here … in terms of diversifying the economy and taking advantage of our renewable energy resources.”
State and federal leaders have homed in on renewable energy as a solution to Nevada’s economic morass. The state has abundant sunshine and land, and solar power companies have taken notice. With businesses fleeing the state and many company owners hesitant to move here, proposals from renewable energy firms with deep pockets and promises of job creation are certainly appealing.
But questions remain about what role government should play in the industry’s development, especially as figures from completed projects come to light. The quandary can be put this way: Is it worth spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to create only a handful of permanent jobs?
The rest here.