Can a city that prides itself on excess also be sustainable?

Brandon Morrison, director of sustainability with Resorts World, says yes. His evidence: The 3,500-room property recently announced it is now powered by 100% renewable energy.

“I think there’s the perception that you’re either luxurious or sustainable, and you’re not a mix of both. We’re working to prove that you can have a luxurious integrated resort in the entertainment capital of the world that operates efficiently and responsibly, and that seeks to minimize natural resource consumption,” he tells the Weekly. “It’s having Las Vegas with 45 million visitors a year as a model for sustainability.”

Resorts World isn’t alone. Last October, Allegiant Stadium announced the Raiders’ home facility is now the first NFL stadium powered by 100% renewable energy. Also on the Strip, Sphere in August announced a proposed 25-year agreement with NV Energy to provide the “highest percentage of solar power available to Sphere,” according to a press release from Sphere Entertainment Company.

These moves happen to align with Nevada’s goal of reaching 50% renewable energy by 2030. In 2019, the Nevada Legislature passed Senate Bill 358 which modified the state’s renewable portfolio standard and set benchmarks for how much greenhouse gas emissions reductions should be achieved in the coming decades. Ultimately, the goal is to reach zero emissions by 2050, and clean energy is one of the state’s main strategies.

Tony Sanchez, executive vice president of business development and external relations for NV Energy, says the utility is “ahead of the curve” in helping the state meet these goals.

“We’re at the end of 2023 now, so we’ve got six years. And we’re doing great … The law says we’re only supposed to have 29% [renewable energy] right now, and we’re at 37.6%,” Sanchez says. “We’ve never looked at the portfolio standard or that legal requirement to get to 50% by 2030 as a cap. We look at it as a floor.”

That 37.6% renewable energy figure is just the minimum that any NV Energy customer is using, he adds. Some Strip properties are going above and beyond.

MGM Resorts International, for example, has its own 100-megawatt solar array powering 13 properties in Las Vegas. Vice president of sustainability Michael Gulich says it’s the “largest direct-connect solar energy system in the hospitality industry,” with the ability to power the equivalent of 27,000 average homes.

Instead of entering an agreement with NV Energy, like Resorts World did, MGM worked with an outside company to develop and launch the solar array in 2021. MGM is the sole user, with the array producing up to 100% of Las Vegas properties’ daytime electricity needs.

“The Strip is a unique area in that several of the Strip properties obtain their energy from a provider from out of state. And those properties are Caesars, MGM and the Wynn,” Sanchez explains.

Resorts World and Allegiant Stadium are different customers in that they’re “fully-bundled” and obtain their energy through NV Energy. “We went out and procured specific renewable energy within Nevada from certain sites that are directly allocated to them. … And others are starting to follow suit,” Sanchez says.

Sphere is jumping on board agreements with NV Energy to power its venue with as much renewable energy as possible. Its proposed 25-year agreement is pending before the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada and is scheduled for a hearing in February. The agreement includes solar battery storage, a relatively new technology which essentially stores solar power collected during the day and allows it to be used at night.

Resorts World is already using battery storage.

“It’s something that the MGM solar array doesn’t have. So they’re able to generate a vast amount of power during the day and then, at nighttime, they have to find other sources of power,” Morrison explains. “Having that battery storage means it’s around the clock. Even when the sun’s not shining, we’re still using that solar base because it’s able to be stored in those batteries.”

The 200-megawatt solar array that powers Resorts World can power the equivalent of 50,000 homes.

“200 megawatts is significantly more than the property’s energy load, and Resorts World only utilizes a portion of this solar development project. The ‘leftover’ renewable power is therefore available for additional entities to also tap into,” Morrison says.

Resorts World’s transition to 100% renewable energy has been in the works since before the property opened in June 2021. In the beginning, the property used roughly 20% renewable energy.

Sanchez says the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law have been “the real game changer” in getting renewable energy projects online and into venues. The legislation extended the federal solar investment tax credit, allowing nonrefundable tax credits up to 30% of installation costs through at least 2032, according to the Department of Energy’s website.

“They introduced tax credits for renewable energy projects, as well as batteries. We can now build solar and battery projects now at potentially up to 50% off, because of the tax savings,” Sanchez says, calling the legislation “transformative” for the renewable energy landscape.

NV Energy expects to add more than 1,440 megawatts of solar energy and battery storage over the next year. The Gemini solar project in Moapa, which Sanchez says is one of the world’s biggest, is expected to add 690 megawatts, with nearly 400 megawatts of battery storage.

“That’s going to be utilized for our customers here in Nevada, and will add to that 36.7% that we currently have for renewable energy,” Sanchez says.

He anticipates the Strip will go the extra mile as NV Energy continues to work with the state on its emissions reduction and clean energy goals.

“We’ve got so much growth coming that we anticipate [making] 50% by 2030. So the Strip will be able to say they’re at least 50% powered by renewable energy, if not more,” Sanchez says. “I would anticipate more companies going down that same road. We’re in discussions with many of them. … There’s an incredible amount of demand right now for renewable energy solutions.”

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