Estimating the Economic Impacts of Developing Solar Energy in Nevada

nthropogenic climate change has been, is and will continue altering the terrestrial environment. In 1997 Nevada adopted the Renewable Portfolio Standard, requiring 25 percent of its electricity to come from renewable sources. This thesis examines the economic impacts of further development of solar photovoltaic, utility-scale energy generation facilities in Nevada. It is important to understand the economic impacts of developing utility-scale projects. To estimate impacts, the models used in this thesis utilize an input-output and social accounting matrix produced by IMPLAN software, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's JEDI software. The intended contribution of this project is to use real world constraints to estimate the impacts of developing solar utilities. The constraints are based on available developable land in the Solar Energy Zones designated by the Bureau of Land Management. The estimated results are presented in terms of total impacts. Nevada's economy could experience impacts ranging anywhere from...