In many ways, Reno, Nevada is the perfect location for June 2016’s Baseload Renewable Energy Summit, hosted by the Geothermal Energy Association and co-host, Ormat. Second only to California in terms of geothermal-produced electricity, Nevada is transitioning to a clean energy grid at a fast pace. Nevada’s own Senator Dean Heller noted at an industry conference earlier in the year, “I want to see the day Reno is powered only by geothermal and solar energy. I want to make sure that my grandchildren will never have to put another dollar into a gas pump.”

 

Nevada leads the nation in geothermal development and has many innovative projects with experts representing various aspects of the Nevada geothermal industry attending the upcoming Summit. As states like Nevada move away from fossil fuels and towards substantial renewable power supplies, the role and value of geothermal needs recognition. Studies have found geothermal power brings value and reliability to the future grid. But a key question is, how do state regulators and utilities recognize those values in order to build a clean and reliable 21st Century power system?

 

Confirmed presentations by Nevadans include a video welcome address by the Honorable Nevada Senator Harry Reid; panelist Jack McGinley of NV Energy, a geothermal leader in the state whose customers benefit from 385 megawatts of geothermal energy from NV Energy plants; Gene Seidlitz, the Acting Deputy State Director of BLM Nevada; and Angela Dykema, Director of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy, both representing Nevada’s exceptional commitment to renewable energy – geothermal in particular.

 

An array of diverse speakers will discuss pressing baseload issues and policy trends over the course of the Summit. The panels offer an exciting mix of presentations and dialogue from industry experts, from utilities highlighting the value of baseloads in the power grid, the integration of baseloads into state-level RPSs and carbon reduction plans to combat climate change, current market issues in the west, and policies imperative for the success of baseload technologies to level the playing field with other renewables.

 

 

Geothermal Energy Association

www.geo-energy.org