Not Sin City, but Solar City? Green transformation of Las Vegas

The city, which is famous for its glitz, colorful neon lights and partying until dawn, has dynamically embarked on a path of sustainable development, surprising the world with a positive example. Las Vegas has been painstakingly implementing corrective measures related to clean energy and more efficient water management for more than a dozen years. The results of millions of dollars of investment are already visible, but the city government is not resting on its laurels and announces further changes.

Solar City, or the energy transformation of Las Vegas

In 2009. The Obama administration passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was primarily intended to spur job creation in the face of the economic crisis. Its $787 billion investment package included, among other things, investments in renewable energy sources, advanced batteries and green buildings. In Las Vegas, the city government seized a major opportunity and invested $75 million in sustainability projects.

In a city that experiences an average of 3825 hours of sunshine per year, solar photovoltaics (PV) were the obvious choice. The pace of the transformation was dictated by a regulation adopted by the state of Nevada in 2019.(Renewable Portfolio Standard), which set an ambitious goal of sourcing by 2030. 50 percent of energy from renewable sources and a completely carbon-free energy sector by 2050.

Hotels and casinos began investing in solar energy, taking advantage of a 50 percent tax credit for the next 10 years. As a result, by 2023, small and large solar PV installations were already generating 26 percent of the total energy used in Nevada, and Las Vegas became the second city in the United States with the highest PV capacity per capita. In total, the gambling capital produces 443 megawatts of solar energy, which translates into 669 watts per person.

Not only the sun…

Paradoxically, until 2017, the main source of renewable energy in Nevada was geothermal energy. It still accounts for ¼ of renewable energy and 10% of total energy production. In 2009. a giant power plant that draws heat from deep within the earth was opened, and in 2015 a solar module was added to further heat geothermal fluids, increasing the efficiency of the hybrid power plant.

The third major renewable energy source for Las Vegas is a hydroelectric plant located at the Hoover Dam. It’s a phenomenon of sorts that a city located in the desert benefits from the energy potential of water, which totals as much as 2,080 megawatts and provides electricity to Nevada, Arizona and California. Unfortunately, the plant, which was built in the 1930s, is now threatened by the effects of climate change – in 2023, the amount of energy produced for Nevada this way dropped by as much as 22 percent due to drought. This is one of the reasons for the state’s energy portfolio’s refocus on solar power.

Wind energy is so far used the least. In 2012. the only windmill farm with a capacity of 150 megawatts has opened. The development of this branch of energy is limited by the fact that most of the mountain ranges with wind potential are state-owned and construction requires approval from the federal government.

Water in the desert

A major challenge for Las Vegas authorities is to ensure that the metropolis of 3 million residents, which is visited annually by some 40 million tourists, has sufficient potable and usable water. Situated in the Mojave Desert, the city draws 90 percent of its water resources from the Colorado River, which had already reached a critical minimum in 2002. As alternative sources are in short supply, Las Vegas has begun to implement an intensive water conservation program.

Restrictions introduced included limiting the volume of swimming pools, banning the use of evaporative cooling, hefty fines for water spills, a limit on the frequency of car washing, and a ban on installing fountains and decorative ponds larger than 0.9^m2. A campaign to replace faucets in buildings with water-efficient ones was carried out, and the famous Bellagio fountains were obliged to reuse water. In addition, the state authorities managed to remove 18.5 million^{m2 of} waterfront turf, increasing the allocation of Colorado River water for Nevada by 10 percent. The results were surprising – although southern Nevada’s population has increased by 750,000 over two decades, water use has fallen by 31 percent in that time.

Recycling of water has also proven to be a very important measure, which has already reached 85 percent in the buildings. Nevada returns treated water to Lake Mead, above Hoover Dam, from where it is redistributed to residents of three states. The problem, however, remains the use of water for irrigation, where evaporation losses are huge and recovery is very difficult. For this reason, projects are being implemented in Las Vegas to replace traditional lawns with desert vegetation.

Unfortunately, the future is not overly optimistic. Water levels in the Colorado River, which feeds Lake Mead, depend heavily on the snowpack in the Rocky Mountains. Its scarcity, combined with increased evaporation due to rising temperatures, could threaten the water security of Las Vegas’ population. Not surprisingly, starting in 2019, the public-private Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA) is leading an ambitious plan to link water use to economic development through special investment assessment tools. There is also growing talk of building seawater desalination plants, although this is a solution with limited potential due to the high price of the technology and the fact that Nevada is landlocked.

Waste management

On the road to sustainability, an ambitious waste management plan has also been introduced in the state of Nevada. Adopted in 2022, it expands and complements the earlier 2017 strategy, introducing an important concept: landfill should be a last resort. In particular, this principle applies to products that are difficult to recycle and should be reused or composted in a responsible manner. The new plan promotes a closed loop as an alternative to the linear life cycle of products – from manufacture to landfill.

In 2021. The level of waste recycling in the state of Nevada was only 24 percent. However, the state authorities are not giving up and are conducting an extensive education campaign in schools and rural areas. At the same time, there are plans to invest in waste processing infrastructure and develop a market for recycled materials. In Las Vegas itself, the fleet of waste collection vehicles and the operation of collection points have been improved.

Challenges facing Las Vegas

Las Vegas is a prime example of a city that started on a losing streak and, on top of that, is subject to tremendous commercial pressure. Nonetheless, it turned out that even private business, with the right public motivation, is eager to get involved in the energy transition and water conservation process.

However, the city of lights and fun still faces many challenges. Among the most important is reducing road transportation, which is one of the most serious sources of greenhouse gas emissions. The city government announces that in 2050 all residents will have guaranteed access to public transportation, and 75 percent of the population will have a bus stop within 800 meters. There are also plans to adapt individual thoroughfares for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The entire bus fleet is to be replaced over time with hydrogen-powered vehicles – the city has secured a $3.8 million government grant for this purpose. In early 2024. In the state of Nevada, there were also 560 charging sites for electric cars from more than 2,000 ports.

Another challenge is air conditioning, without which it is hard to survive in the desert climate, and which involves enormous energy consumption. It will take many more smart moves to turn Sin City into a truly green city. However, the direction and intensity of the local authorities’ efforts are impressive.