Is The Las Vegas Strip Solar Powered?
The Las Vegas Strip is famous for its neon lights, opulent casinos, and around-the-clock entertainment. As one of the brightest and busiest areas in the world, the Las Vegas Strip requires massive amounts of electricity to power its operations. With dozens of mega hotels, casinos, attractions, and shows running 24/7, energy usage on the Strip totals in the billions of kilowatt-hours per year.
According to an analysis by the US Energy Information Administration, the 40 million tourists who visited Las Vegas in 2016 used over 5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. The Las Vegas Strip alone accounted for over 67% of the city’s total electricity usage that year. Providing power to keep the Strip continuously lit and operational is a massive feat of infrastructure and planning.
In recent years, growing awareness of sustainability and renewable energy has led some resorts on the Strip to incorporate solar and other green energy sources. While the glittering Strip is still powered mainly by fossil fuels, solar panels and energy efficiency measures are starting to offset a portion of its energy appetite. This article will examine the Strip’s transition towards renewable energy.
History of Solar Power in Las Vegas
Solar power first gained traction in Las Vegas in 2008 when NV Energy launched its SolarGenerations incentive program to encourage homeowners and businesses to install rooftop solar panels [1]. This kickstarted the adoption of solar in the city, and by 2013 Las Vegas ranked first in the nation for most solar watts installed per capita [2]. However, controversy arose in 2015 when NV Energy proposed slashing its net metering rates, which allow solar customers to sell excess energy back to the grid. After pushback, a compromise was reached in 2017.
By 2020, over 100,000 Las Vegas homes had rooftop solar installed, and the city ranked second in the nation for solar watts per capita behind Honolulu [2]. This growth was aided by federal tax credits, declining panel costs, and Nevada reinstating net metering at near original rates.
Current Solar Installations on the Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is home to some of the largest and most iconic hotels and casinos in the world. Over the past decade, many of these major establishments have embraced renewable solar power as part of their energy portfolio.
One of the early adopters was the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, which installed a 100kw solar array on its rooftop in 2008. This system generates enough electricity to power around 300 guest rooms per day.
In 2013, the MGM Grand installed a 6.2MW solar array, which was the largest rooftop solar system in Vegas at the time. Covering 20 acres of rooftop space, this array provides up to 20% of the MGM Grand’s total power needs.
Caesars Entertainment has rolled out solar across many of its Vegas properties including Caesars Palace, Harrah’s, Flamingo, Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood and the Rio. In 2014, Caesars installed one of the largest rooftop solar arrays in the world, spanning 30 acres across three of its hotel rooftops.
The Las Vegas Sands corporation installed a 26MW solar array in 2016 to power its Venetian and Palazzo resorts. This was the largest rooftop solar system in the world when it was completed.
In 2017, the Las Vegas Convention Center installed a grand total of 7,000 solar panels on its rooftop. This makes it the largest rooftop solar array in the city.
Other major Strip hotels with sizable solar installations include the Cosmopolitan, Treasure Island, the Bellagio, and the Wynn resort.
Percentage of Solar Power Usage
According to casino.org, only around 10% of the electricity used on the Las Vegas Strip actually comes from solar power as of early 2023.
Although there are significant solar installations on many major Strip properties, the percentage of total energy derived from the sun remains relatively small. Back in 2016, MGM Resorts announced plans to get 20% of its power from renewable sources like solar by 2020, but reaching that target has proven challenging.
The vast majority of electricity feeding the bright lights of the Strip still comes from non-renewable sources like natural gas. While solar adoption is increasing, it provides just a fraction of the huge energy demands of massive casino resorts. For the Strip to truly run on 100% clean energy, massive investments in solar, battery storage, and other renewables will be required.
Solar Potential of the Strip
There has been significant interest in further increasing the amount of solar power generated on the Las Vegas Strip. According to a 2017 feasibility study by the Rocky Mountain Institute, the rooftops of the hotels and casinos on the Strip have the potential to host up to 733 MW of solar capacity, over 15 times more solar than was installed at that time.[1] This would be enough to meet approximately 16% of the Strip’s annual electricity demand. The study found that on-site solar power could provide the Strip with electricity cost savings of up to $15 million per year.
However, there are challenges to reaching this level of solar power capacity. Most hotel rooftops were not designed to handle the additional weight load of solar panels. Retrofitting the roofs would require major investments. Additionally, some roofs are shaded for portions of the day, reducing solar output. Still, the technical potential demonstrates the opportunity for the Strip to substantially increase its use of renewable energy from solar power.
Challenges to Adoption
While Las Vegas has made great strides in adopting solar power, there remain barriers to wider implementation across the Strip. Despite the ample sunshine, there are challenges around cost and logistics that have prevented more properties from going solar.
The initial upfront cost of installing solar panels on large hotels and casinos can be prohibitive. According to a recent LA Times article, the cost of solar panels has dropped 90% over the last decade but can still be a major investment for resort operators. Property owners must weigh the long-term energy savings against the substantial initial capital required.
There are also logistical constraints around retrofitting existing structures with solar panels. Space on rooftops is limited, especially for older properties on the Strip. Installation requires cordoning off areas which can disrupt operations. There are also structural considerations given the massive size and scale of hotel towers.
While many resorts have embraced solar where feasible, overcoming these cost and logistics hurdles remains a key challenge to maximizing solar potential across the entire Las Vegas Strip.
Government Incentives
The state of Nevada offers various incentives to promote solar power installation and adoption. The federal government provides a tax credit for 30% of the cost of installing a solar system through the Investment Tax Credit program (Forbes.com). Homeowners in Nevada who install solar panels and energy storage systems can qualify for this tax credit.
Additionally, NV Energy offers a rebate program where customers receive credits for 75% of the retail rate for excess solar energy they produce (Energysage.com). This encourages homeowners and businesses to install larger systems that can feed extra electricity back to the grid. The Valley Electric Association also has a net metering program with similar benefits.
These incentives make solar power more affordable and attractive for Nevada residents. By offsetting equipment and installation costs, the government hopes to accelerate adoption to meet renewable energy goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Future Expansion Plans
In June 2021, MGM Resorts launched a 100MW solar array that provides up to 90% of daytime power to 13 MGM properties on the Las Vegas Strip. The solar array is expected to generate enough electricity to power 36,000 homes annually. This represents a major expansion of renewable energy usage on the Strip.
MGM Resorts has announced goals to source 100% renewable electricity by 2030 and reduce emissions by 45% by 2035. To reach these targets, the company will need to continue investing in large-scale solar projects in Nevada. Other Strip operators like Caesars Entertainment have made similar renewable energy commitments.
There are also plans underway for a massive 690MW solar plant east of the valley that will provide 100% renewable power to Raiders Stadium and Las Vegas Convention Center. NV Energy is adding over 1,440MW of solar and battery storage in the next year as well. Major expansions in solar power generation will be required for the Las Vegas Strip to reach 100% renewable electricity in the future.
Environmental Impact
The shift towards solar power on the Las Vegas Strip has major environmental benefits. According to MGM Resorts, their new 100MW solar array will reduce annual carbon emissions by over 200,000 tons, which is equivalent to taking 45,000 gas-powered cars off the road each year. This helps combat climate change by reducing the resorts’ dependence on fossil fuels for energy generation (MGM Resorts, 2022).
Other resorts like Caesars Palace, Bellagio, and Mandalay Bay have also installed large solar arrays that provide up to 30% of their energy needs. Widespread adoption of solar power reduces air and water pollution in the Las Vegas area by limiting emissions from coal and natural gas power plants (Sierra Club, 2021). The Ivanpah solar farm in the Mojave Desert provides renewable energy to power the Strip while avoiding an estimated 400,000 tons of carbon emissions per year (Solar Energy Industries Association, 2022).
Investing in renewable energy sources like solar demonstrates a commitment to sustainability in one of the most energy-intensive tourist destinations in the world. With Las Vegas receiving so much sunlight annually, solar power can greatly reduce the environmental footprint of massive resorts and casinos on the Strip. As solar generation expands, Las Vegas is leading the way in renewable energy integration in the hospitality and entertainment industry (Las Vegas Weekly, 2022).
Conclusion
Through the large-scale adoption of solar power, the Las Vegas Strip has become a shining example of sustainability and renewable energy usage for other tourist destinations around the world. While solar generation still makes up a fairly small percentage of overall energy usage due to the massive energy demands of the Strip’s resorts and casinos, major resort operators like MGM and Caesars Entertainment have made significant investments into rooftop and off-site solar installations. With solar electricity prices continuing to fall and Nevada’s ample sunlight, the potential for further solar expansion on the Strip remains high. Though the upfront installation costs are still a barrier, solar power’s environmental and long-term economic benefits could make it an increasingly integral part of powering the bright lights of Las Vegas in the future.
