Ancient civilizations considered the sun as a divine emissary that needed to be respected and even feared. It had the power to have life taken in sacrifice for the sake of making human existence possible. Fast-forward to the present day and age….

Our Star has a potent presence. It even makes a difference to a person who is having a lousy day. A person in Seattle, with its blanket of clouds and misery, is more likely to stay quite melancholy. A person in San Diego could just take a walk during a sunshine-kissed day to find immediate relief.

Without needing to perform ritualized sacrifice, modern man has been able to harness the sun’s rays for a benefit to his existence. This solar energy is found in spades in Nevada, California, and the entire Southwest. Nevada is literally a hotbed for the cultivation of this free natural resource.

Fossil fuels are still mostly used in power plants to boil water which converts into steam that in turn rotates a turbine to create electricity. There have been great debates when the peak of petroleum extraction will be reached; but, some power companies are taking advantage of the sun’s abundance.

NV Energy should be commended for its increased use of solar energy. It presently has long-term contracts with five different solar power plants. This includes Nevada Solar One which is the largest solar plant in the world that has been built in the last fifteen years. NV Energy has made a commitment to further integrate solar resources in the future. It would be a great benefit to the environment once this has been achieved. Just transporting in coal shale from Canada or petroleum from the Gulf of Mexico spends fossil fuels and releases their toxins en route to the West. Exclusive solar power usage would make this a moot point. It could get to the point where Nevada could sell this solar energy to California and Arizona which would mean lower rates for the exporting state’s residents.

Cleaner air, cheaper utility bills, and a clearer conscience. These are attainable goals. The sun was always present since the times of antiquity. We just need to stay here on Planet Earth long enough to become an ancient civilization ourselves.