A small hydroelectric system developed on a ranch in the Big Smoky Valley of central Nevada is likely to herald the creation of more projects to generate electricity from streams across the state.
The Young Brothers Ranch about 17 miles south of Austin became the first ranch in the state to earn a rebate from NV Energy for development of a small-scale hydroelectric plant.
The hydro plant generates 93 kilowatts of power from a small powerhouse that's driven by water piped from Santa Fe and Shoshone creeks in the Toiyabe Mountain Range above the ranch.
The power is fed into the distribution system on the ranch, and it's estimated to cut power bills by $5,000 to $7,000 a month, says Ralph Young, who co-owns the Lander County ranch with his brother, Paul.
NV Energy helped finance the project with a $232,500 rebate, part of a hydropower program that's available exclusively to its agricultural customers.
Construction costs included a 10-inch pipe to transport water as well installation of the powerhouse. After the water drives the hydroelectric turbine, it's returned to the Kingston Creek drainage.
The project was designed by Nevada Controls LLC of Carson City, and the engineering company has more hydro facilities on the drawing board.
Rett Jesse, chief executive officer of Nevada Controls, says the company is designing an additional 175-kilowatt plant on the Young Brothers Ranch, and it's designing a 225-kilowatt hydroelectric plant for another ranch in the Big Smoky Valley.
Jesse says word-of-mouth in the ranching community about the Young Brothers Ranch project is spurring inquiries from other ranch owners who want to control their power costs.
Potential locations, he says, are those in which a source of water is several hundred feet above the proposed location of a powerhouse.
He said data collected by the State Engineer about watercourses in the state is proving to be a useful guide to potential locations.
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