FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information:
CONTACT NAME: Clark County, N.V. At Large Member Daniel Alves
CONTACT PHONE: 775 298 6847
CONTACT EMAIL: nvgreenparty@gmail.com
(LAS VEGAS, Nev.) — In keeping with the principles of ecological sustainability held by the Nevada Green Party, Clark County, N.V. At Large Member Daniel Alves presents for consideration the premise of the Solar Cities Act in conjunction with ‘Rotodyne’ technology and how it might enhance the quality of life for citizens of Nevada and beyond:
Solar Cities Act and Rotodyne
The Solar Cities Act is an opt-in state funded program which would allow cities and counties in Nevada to determine the size and location of solar farms. This will reduce the state’s reliance on natural gas, coal, and oil while allowing Nevada to be a large energy generation and storage provider in the western United States. If the Solar Cities Act were to pass, cities and counties won’t pay for the installation and still reap the benefits.
Some of the ways we may incentivize and entice people to vote for this act is that electricity will be cheaper and cleaner, and in combination to funding/powering public transportation we could also relax some individual consumer regulations. When the solar farms are built and they power our public transportation then people who get electric cars will be able to charge them at reduced cost. People who decide to keep their engine powered cars will be able to get grants to change to ethanol or bio-fuel flex vehicles. Funding for the solar farms can come from bonds or loans and return on investment is only but guaranteed since solar panels retain around 80% effectiveness after 30 years and can pay for themselves in under 20 years.
Solar farms can either power the community/city or be a power station for a nearby town as well. Cities/Counties can set the price for out of state sale of electricity. The state will negotiate with local ordinances to take 0.5%- 5% of profits from out of state sales. Solar panel installation would fund jobs and sustaining the solar farms would also provide jobs. These jobs will be hiring Nevadans first, our priority should be making sure every veteran, homeless person, or bright eyed college student can be properly trained to have fair access to a job in the clean energy sector.
Allowing a diversity of housing like mixed used walk-able neighborhoods would help save energy and be more profitable than a single family neighborhood. Single family homes leak heating and cooling from all sides of the house and their neighborhoods don’t allow for any businesses or stores including low impact businesses. Building and zoning codes/laws need to be updated for all places of living to be built sustainably, that includes minimizing urban sprawl and prioritizing high demand mixed used neighborhoods. We need more high quality public housing and senior living with better amenities and access to public transportation. Buying old neighborhoods and giving grants to rebuild unstable or refit unusable homes to revitalize and rebuild old areas without increasing the cost of living. We also need to allow low impact businesses (i.e. bakery, bicycle shop, bodega etc.) to be opened in a residential neighborhood, with permission and support of the neighborhood residents. New zoning would allow restaurants to use a regular house or build a small commercial property like John Mull’s. The neighborhood would be making a profit and the city wouldn’t have to rely solely on property taxes, which don’t keep up with maintenance costs.
Public oversight means every aspect of the electricity making process will be well documented, so people can see exactly how the funds are allocated. People should know what they’re paying for. We should not be paying a company based in a different state so they can profit off of a necessity. NV energy, a public utility company which generates, transmits and distributes electric service in northern and southern Nevada, is not buying electricity from individuals/citizens anymore. That means Nevadans don’t have the freedom to sell any extra electricity they create. NV energy is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, an investment firm that isn’t even located in Nevada, so they pay less taxes to the state than a locally owned business would. There is also little transparency to where profits go and companies shouldn’t profit off of a necessary utility.
A strategy must be put in place to help workers transition from traditional energy industries such as natural gas into clean energy jobs – partnerships with state universities or community colleges can benefit from an existing education infrastructure as well as federal investment. The proposal includes offering as many opportunities and options as possible including, funding and paying for their education or training in solar equipment. If they would like to switch careers then they can access their unemployment, pension, and/or have their school paid for. Any workers near or at retirement will have a fully funded pension and will receive a retirement bonus from the state. Any workers who would like to start their own business will be able to apply for grants or loans and will be given adequate resources to be able to reach out to investors.
Trams, monorails, streetcars, and many other forms of public transportation can be powered by electricity and with the solar farms powering our cities, our public transportation can be carbon negative and potentially free to the residents of Nevada. Solar panels in parking lots would allow parking lots to not just be a slab of concrete that drains local ordinances money. Solar panels could also be used as a cover. In this intensely hot city, having solar panels covering popular walking routes would be a dual benefit. Efficient forms of electric storage such as gravity batteries are already available and being deployed in different parts of the word – it will depend on the community’s needs but need to be researched to be as scalable and efficient as possible. Nevada should be on the forefront of that technology.
Rotodyne – why the Rotodyne?
Nevada’s unique, beautiful, and slightly mountainous terrain puts it in a unique place when it comes to public transportation and state interconnections, that’s why I am proposing we use the Rotodyne to connect where high speed rail can’t. Rotodyne is a type of Auto-gyro, in other words, a plane with a helicopter style blade on top, providing extra lift. Rotodyne is referring to an Auto-gyro first created by Fairey Aviation, it’s essentially a bus with propellers. The Rotodyne can transport up to 60 people at a time, and has jet tip propelled top blades to allow for seamless vertical take off and landing. This information is all from the 1950 design, imagine what we could do nowadays with electric and gas motors. My current proposed high speed rail lines are: Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Las Vegas to Reno/Carson City, Reno to Elko, Elko to Salt Lake City (Las Vegas to Salt lake is possible but mountainous and current rail infrastructure does not involve going through St George). The land to these places avoids Tribal Lands (unless a tribe asks for the railroad to go through or come close to their Land), is relatively flat, and some routes have existing railroad infrastructure that can either be used as a foundation or as a guide. (There is also infrastructure from Ely to Oasis that can be built and Improved). These Railroad lines can’t go through every town and no town deserves to be forgotten. I advocate for the Rotodyne to fill the gap. Not only can we outsource the building of the auto-gyros to small local companies, it would create a massive amount of jobs and it would potentially help reduce reliance on military contracts for some aircraft makers. More importantly it cost per passenger mile was the lowest among air vehicles, and was comparable to other forms of public transportation. It would be a fast efficient way to transport people, supplies, food and medicine as well as patient transport . The vertical take off and landing capabilities of Auto-gyros means little land infrastructure is needed, just a check in bench and a landing pad. This could even speed up the postal service in Nevada, allowing mail to travel more quickly with, of course, certified USPS personnel on board as monitors.
One of the most important functions of the Rotodyne will be emergency transport. Emergency Rotodyne transport can be made specifically with medical transit in mind. The cabins are large and provide ample room for medical supplies, personnel, and patients. They are fast, they clocked in at 200 mph and that was in 1960, they could potentially go faster now. Compared to other helicopters and vtol machines, the Rotodyne has an impressive speed to passenger ratio with the potential of being cheaper as well. Rail is efficient, especially for high volumes of people and cargo, but it is stuck in place and some towns don’t have high volumes of people. With the Rotodyne we get to set the destination, high volume or not. Research institutions and companies in Nevada can obtain state and federal grants to partner up and build a fleet of new age Rotodynes that will service Nevada. This will bring in established companies and startups, which will in turn provide jobs and help strengthen Nevada’s economy. Through executive order, representative vote, or general election proposition we can and should get this passed.
Citations
1. Deign, Jason. “What Other Countries Can Learn from Australia’s Roaring Rooftop Solar Market.” What Other Countries Can Learn From Australia’s Roaring Rooftop Solar Market | Greentech Media, Greentech Media, 3 Aug. 2020,
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/what-the-us-can-learn-from-australias-roaring-rooftop-solar-market.D
2. Cowern, Dianna, director. The BIGGEST Problem with Clean Energy, YouTube, 24 Aug. 2021, https://youtu.be/mHmIVw9etns?t=88
3. Ozdemir, Derya. “South Korean 20-Mile Solar ‘Bike Highway’ Generates Electricity.” Interesting Engineering, Interesting Engineering, 2 July 2021,
https://interestingengineering.com/south-korean-20-mile-solar-bike-highway-generates-electricity
4. Plumer, Brad. “The Netherlands Built a Bike Path Entirely out of Solar Panels.” Vox, Vox, 11 Nov. 2014,
https://www.vox.com/2014/11/11/7193737/solar-power-bike-path-netherlands-solaroad
5. Salas, Erick Burgueño. “U.S. Airlines: Domestic Cost Per Available SEAT Mile 2018.” Statista, Statista, 21 July 2021,
https://www.statista.com/statistics/527881/us-domestic-cost-per-available-seat-mile-by-airline/
6. Slaughter, Jason, director. The Truth about American Cities – Part 1 – Strong Towns [ST01], YouTube, 2 Nov. 2020,
7. Tegler, Eric. “The Fairey Rotodyne, the Vertical Takeoff and Landing Airliner Time Forgot.” Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 16 Feb. 2020,
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/02/the-fairey-rotodyne-the-vertical-take-off-and-landing-airliner-time-forgot/
ABOUT THE NEVADA GREEN PARTY
Founded in 2012, the Nevada Green Party is a community of Nevadans from all backgrounds, birthed from the idea that our actions should always reflect the best interests of all citizens and the earth. Its goals are to promote the values at the core of Green philosophy: Grassroots Democracy, Social Justice, Ecological Wisdom, Nonviolence, Decentralization, Community-based Economics, Gender and Racial Equality, Diversity, Personal and Global Responsibility and Future Focus. Working to build a truly democratic government free of lobbying and special interest, the Green Party does not take money from corporations.
For more information: nvgreenparty.org
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