Nevada is one of the few states in the U.S. that is owned mostly by the government, with only 15% belonging to the state itself. The majority of this land is open desert valleys and dry lake beds, with some of it being used for geothermal energy or military bases. While geothermal energy is used in the western and southwestern areas of Nevada, it relies on areas where geothermal activity is high. Solar energy could be a very useful source of power in Nevada due to the amount of open space available.

California has implemented a unique solar energy production. An example of this would be the Ivanpah solar power facility. This unique solar power plant uses reflective panels to focus sunlight at the top of a tower in order to generate steam. The steam spins turbines and creates electrical power as a result. There has been some controversy around this form of power due to local birds flying between the tower and the reflective panels, causing them to get burned.

The most common form of solar power that has taken root in Nevada is the use of regular photovoltaic solar panels. These are the most common form of solar energy, which uses photovoltaic cells that absorb energy through solar radiation. Many people in Nevada install solar panels on their houses in order to reduce power bills. In my opinion, a mass-scale solar power plant in the Nevada desert using solar panels or a concentrated solar plant would reduce overall electrical bills in the state as well as produce money for the government.

The use of solar energy is better for the environment than burning fossil fuels like coal or oil. Solar energy also requires less active mining than fossil fuels; it can also be placed mostly anywhere that is south-facing. NV Energy has greatly increased solar power production over the past 20 years, urging Nevadans to get solar panels for their homes. Nevada should move towards being the flagship state in clean power generation in the United States.