EDITOR S NOTE: Vegas Myths Busted publishes every Monday, with a bonus Flashback Friday edition. Today s entry in our ongoing series originally ran on March 10, 2023.
The city of Las Vegas is the first large city in the country to be served exclusively by renewable energy. Since this announcement was made by Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman on Dec. 12, 2016, it’s created a major misconception about where the Strip gets its power.
What percentage of energy powering the Las Vegas Strip comes from renewable sources? Nowhere close to 100%. (Image: MGM Resorts)First of all, Mayor Goodman was referring only to the city government of Las Vegas, not to its casinos or other private businesses, nor its nearly 200K residential dwellings. More importantly, no part of the Las Vegas Strip lies within the city of Las Vegas, as we explained
So while it’s awesome that all 140 public buildings as well as all the streetlights, city parks, community centers, and fire stations in the city of Las Vegas proper are powered by a mix of solar and hydroelectric energy, this accomplishment has nothing whatsoever to do with where the Strip gets the energy to power its famous bright lights.
The Good NewsStrip resort companies are doing their part to reduce the amount of fossil fuels they burn.
In June 2021, MGM Resorts brought its 100-megawatt Mega Solar Array online to provide “up to” 90% of the daytime power the 13 Strip properties the company claimed at the time. MGM never explained what the “up to” meant, though it s interpreted to mean on days with unobstructed sunshine.
MGM Resorts Mega Solar Array was thrust into the spotlight in January when a Colorado dentist, later ruled unfit to stand trial, committed what authorities characterized as a terrorist attack against it. MGM reportedly had to switch back to Nevada’s regular power grid while the solar array was taken offline for repairs. (Image: MGM Resorts)Even before the 323K-panel Mega Solar Array, MGM s Mandalay Bay was already generating up to 25% of its power from 26K solar panels installed on its roof. According to MGM, its goal is to run on 100% renewable energy sources by 2023.
Similarly, 100K square feet of the Wynn Las Vegas roof is covered with operating solar panels. And, in 2020, the company opened a 160-acre solar power plant that it said generates up to 75% of its peak Las Vegas power.
Caesars Entertainment doesn t own solar arrays on its property or elsewhere in Las Vegas. However, the Strip s second-largest resort owner reportedly purchases solar energy on the open market and has officially committed to reducing carbon emissions by 30% by 2025 and 95% by 2050.
In 2019, Las Vegas Sands announced that the Venetian and the Sands Expo and Convention Center had procured enough renewable energy certificates from Nevada Energy to cover 100% of their energy use. In 2022, Las Vegas Sands sold those properties to Apollo Global Management, Inc. affiliates and VICI Properties, Inc.
The Bad NewsSo far, all this conservation hasn’t added up to much.
