Last week, Las Vegas reached its decade-long goal of completely powering the city with renewable energy, making it the largest city in the United States to do so.
“Las Vegas is one of the few cities in the entire world that can boast using all of its power from green sources,” Mayor Carolyn Goodman told reporters at city hall last Monday.
The city reached the goal thanks to the opening of Boulder Solar 1, a 100-megawatt solar plant located near Boulder City. Now, the city’s government buildings, streetlights, and parks are fueled the renewable energy.
Since the city began working on the project in 2008, they’ve reduced energy emissions by 30 percent, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. They’ve also inspired several casinos— MGM Resorts, Wynn, and Las Vegas Sands—to announce plans to utilize more renewable energy sources.
The city invested more than $40 million in the project over the years. They’ve since installed solar panels on city buildings and have saved at least $5 million on energy each year. By the end of 2017, the city plans on receiving power from the Hoover Dam for the first time in history.
