Nevada rebates support small hydropower installations

August 24, 2010

A 93-kilowatt hydroelectric project in Nevada has received a $232,500 rebate from power company NV Energy to help with construction costs.

The Home Ranch facility is being developed at the Young Brothers Ranch in the Big Smoky Valley, about 17 miles south of Austin, in central Nevada.

The project involves a 10-inch diameter steel pipe, which brings water from the Santa Fe and Shoshone creeks in the Toiyabe Mountain Range above the ranch down to a powerhouse.

Ralph Young, one of the owners of the ranch, said the facility should save $5,000 to $7,000 per month in electricity costs.

The funding for the Home Ranch project was the first rebate from NV Energy’s HydroGenerations program, which is part of the utility’s RenewableGenerations rebate program aiming to encourage agricultural businesses in Nevada to invest in small solar, wind and hydropower projects.

Two more hydroelectric projects supported by the HydroGenerations program are expected to begin construction soon, including a 175kW project at the Young Brothers Ranch, and a 225kW installation at another Big Smoky Valley ranch in Nye County.

Nevada Controls LLC of Carson City is the contractor for all three projects, with construction scheduled for the fall.

Rebates on the HydroGenerations program support up to 200kW of capacity per project.