Growing Green Energy

Investments in renewable energy are driving job growth and site selection  decisions across the nation.

With the RETA program awarding partial sales and use tax and partial property-tax abatements to eligible renewable energy facilities, it is a crucial tool in attracting developers to produce utility-scale renewable energy in Nevada. Interest in the program is growing, especially considering the Energy Act of 2020 target of 25 GW of renewable energy permitted on federally managed public lands by 2025. It is estimated by BLM Nevada that 13 of those GW will be in Nevada.

Nevada
In Nevada, solar energy infrastructure projects are in high-gear, while geothermal is another renewable energy providing power. Shown here is the McGinness Hills
Geothermal Plant in Austin, NV. (Photo: Ormat Technologies)

“With Nevada’s abundant solar and geothermal resources, developers see the value in siting renewable energy operations in Nevada, which is the geographical center of the western U.S.,” said Bobzien.

Oklahoma: First Green Hydrogen Production Facility

In 2021 the Oklahoma Legislature created a Hydrogen Task Force to evaluate, study, and support hydrogen as a fuel source, and it has already paid off. In December of 2021 Australian energy producer Woodside, announced plans to develop a modular hydrogen facility, named H2OK in Ardmore, OK. Green hydrogen is associated with the use of renewable energy and water using electrolyzing technologies to produce hydrogen, and is targeting the first liquid hydrogen production for 2025.

“This announcement is a big step in growing the hydrogen and renewable energy economy in Oklahoma,” said Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Workforce Development Scott Mueller when the project was announced. “Our ‘all of the above’ energy recruitment strategy continues to bring high quality jobs and investment to Oklahoma and is particularly impactful in rural areas. Renewable sources make up nearly 40% of our total electricity generated, making us number three in the nation for renewable energy. Partnerships with companies like Woodside keep us on the path to number one. We are grateful for their investment in Oklahoma and our workforce. And with the focus on developing our hydrogen economy demonstrated by the hard work of the Hydrogen Task Force, I am confident we will see more announcements like this in the near-term.”

In terms of environmental impact, there are three types of hydrogen fuel: green hydrogen, blue hydrogen, and grey hydrogen. Green hydrogen fuel is produced by using renewable energy—such as wind or solar power—to split water into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) via electrolysis.

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Mark Yates, Vice President of the Advanced Power Alliance, a trade association for renewable energy and storage, said, “We’ve had a lot of conversations with folks eyeing Oklahoma due to our geographic location and our resource mix. I really think, in Oklahoma, we could look up over the course of this decade (and) we could be kind of the epicenter for hydrogen development, both blue and green.”

Rhode Island: Largest Offshore Wind Farm Seeks Expansion

Rhode Island is already home to the first offshore wind farm in the nation. The 30-megawatt project off the shores of Block Island went online five years ago. Governor Dan McKee announced in March of this year that the state senate had introduced legislation to have 600 MW of newly-developed offshore wind capacity procured by Summer 2022.