[EDAWN Column for the Reno Gazette-Journal for Sunday, May 8, 2011]
When President Obama visited Greater Reno-Tahoe for a town hall meeting at ElectraTherm many people realized the value of that global spotlight on our region. With our historical image for gaming and divorce, the visit was a way to position our community as a place for business, an image for which we get rare recognition.
Governor Sandoval declared in his State of the State message that Nevada will become the “renewable energy capital of the world.” State and local government officials, along with 61 percent of you, as determined in an online Target2010 survey, declared focusing on the clean energy technology sector as a top economic development priority. Declaring it and doing it are two different things. A group of national site consultants recently told us, “Actual is better than aspirational.” We intend to demonstrate actual success.
This week the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN), in collaboration with many key partners from the region and the state, will host a group of national freelance writers who cover the clean energy sector. These writers supply stories to media outlets such as Scientific American, Technology Review, Popular Science, Fast Company, Grist, Greentech Media, BusinessWeek, Natural Resources Defense Council’s OnEarth, and GreenBiz.com. Their stories will give important credence to Nevada’s emergence as a center for renewable energy in terms of generation, innovation, education and implementation. Our goal is to show that Reno-Tahoe offers an abundance of clean energy experts, research, natural resources and a competitive state policy.
The tour kicks off Tuesday, with a market overview with Sylvia Harrison, clean energy attorney with McDonald Carano Wilson, then a visit to the University of Nevada for a series of presentations including the National Geothermal Academy program. The Peppermill Resort Spa Casino is hosting lunch with top geothermal company executives where the journalists will learn about industry trends and the Peppermill’s unique operational geothermal system. We’ll continue with a tour of the Ormat Galena 3 geothermal plant. The evening will conclude with a statewide clean energy dinner at the Governor’s Mansion, including the Governor, Lt. Governor and key leaders from the Nevada Office of Energy, NV Energy, Nevada Public Utilities Commission, Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization and the Nevada Commission on Economic Development.
Wednesday will include visits to Reno City Hall where the journalists will hear about Reno’s urban wind project, and ElectraTherm, and the company’s waste heat capture technology and how it’s used to generate electricity.
While we could not include every clean energy company and program in two days, we’ve provided the reporters with information and contacts for the many clean energy experts and organizations throughout the region and state. The idea is to pique their interest and generate media coverage that builds a positive image for Nevada as a place for clean energy investment and industry. As for our journalists, Development Counsellors International and Julie Ardito Public Relations, who are coordinating this visit, will continue to follow up with these, and other media, as part of an ongoing effort to tell Reno-Tahoe’s clean energy story and build an image of this place for the clean energy capital it is becoming.
[Chuck Alvey, CEcD, is President and Chief Executive Officer of EDAWN
The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada]
