[olecapt]

Originally Posted by MediocreButArrogant

The big one, as dynimagelv wrote, is Nevada Solar One, outside Boulder City. IIRC, it can generate 64MW, and was built by a Spanish company.

Nevada Solar One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cost of $266 million. To carry a 266 million asset at 5% (very optimistic) money is about 13.3 million per annum. Plant puts out 134 million kilowatthours. So $0.10 per kilowatt hour for the captital cost alone. Add moderate operating expenses and you are above retail power costs..at the transmission line.

[ca_north]

Originally Posted by caligali

We're moving to LV next year to work (teachers) and from what I see on tv, looks like the economy is really, really bad. Is it that bad?

Las Vegas economy among worst in the world, report says - Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010 | 7 a.m. - Las Vegas Sun

Any economy based on gaming tourism and unsustainable housing starts is bound to crash harder than most. The whole idea that you can build new houses indefinitely is type of Ponzi scheme, but people lack foresight and mainly chase dollars.

Las Vegas should never have grown as large as it has, given its water limitations, extreme electricity needs (e.g. summer A/C), and geographic isolation. Las Vegas plays a big role in the slow death of the Colorado River.

Unfortunately, the whole U.S. economy is based on the prospect of perpetual economic growth and debt repayment, which are physical & fiscal impossibilities that most people keep ignoring. They'd rather blame the sitting President and other temporary factors for the general futility and corruption of a system that thrives on population gains and material gluttony.

In case anyone thinks this is an empty rant, check out some solutions at steadystate.org and similar sites. The idea that a finite planet doesn't contain infinite wealth is worth considering.

[Robustus]

Originally Posted by ca_north

Any economy based on gaming tourism and unsustainable housing starts is bound to crash harder than most. The whole idea that you can build new houses indefinitely is type of Ponzi scheme, but people lack foresight and mainly chase dollars.

^ True

Las Vegas should never have grown as large as it has, given its water limitations, extreme electricity needs (e.g. summer A/C), and geographic isolation. Las Vegas plays a big role in the slow death of the Colorado River.

^ False

Unfortunately, the whole U.S. economy is based on the prospect of perpetual economic growth and debt repayment, which are physical & fiscal impossibilities that most people keep ignoring. They'd rather blame the sitting President and other temporary factors for the general futility and corruption of a system that thrives on population gains and material gluttony.

^ True

In case anyone thinks this is an empty rant, check out some solutions at steadystate.org and similar sites. The idea that a finite planet doesn't contain infinite wealth is worth considering.

^ I might get around to checking out your link sometime tomorrow.
[/quote]

[dynimagelv]

CA whatever this isnt even worthy of a reply

[pocketaces74]

I don't see what's so wrong with his analysis - he's pretty much right.

Greed is what drove the boom for all those good years, yet Vegas itself was the epicenter for the housing crash.

Artificial demand sure as heck made a lot of people money, but look at all those half-built and abandoned houses, now.

:/

[cecnj]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Cost of $266 million. To carry a 266 million asset at 5% (very optimistic) money is about 13.3 million per annum. Plant puts out 134 million kilowatthours. So $0.10 per kilowatt hour for the captital cost alone. Add moderate operating expenses and you are above retail power costs..at the transmission line.

Why is the cost 266 million? Just curious as to what these hefty costs actually are.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by cecnj

Why is the cost 266 million? Just curious as to what these hefty costs actually are.

Equipment. Acres and acres of parabolic mirrors with fancy glass metal tubes running through them. Servo systems that tilt the mirrors so they always point at the sun. The sun then heats a fluid in the tubes to around 700 degrees which is then used to create steam which drives a turbine.

[marysway]

Originally Posted by All-natural

If you can gamble, eat out, party, buy coach and other designer clothes then you can buy school supplies at the 99 cent store. Sn- Don't have children if you can't afford them or have time to raise them.

That is about the most stupidest comment I've seen yet. Either you have a charmed life and have never had to "work" for anything, or have never had a bit of bad luck and had to work around it to go past it.

Normally when you have kids you plan for them and have the money to pay all expenses for them. But 98% of this society has learned the hard way not to many years ago that life can certainly take a wrong turn worse than you could ever imagine and it takes a lot more to jump back up from it than just working around it.

Then lets say you've got 3 kids and your expenses are so far out of reach from your income working 2 jobs sometimes 3........it is what it is.

I know from seeing enough people that have lost so much (those who had so much to begin with and those that really were just getting by) and the loss now it's just to much to reach up and just be okay in 6 months or even year or longer. I have 3 children and I use to go out twice a month for mommy time and we ate out once a week at a family place and that does not happen now.

The way it looks to who I am looking at is that charmed lives are a thing of the past even to those who use to have them.

As far as teachers go and what is going on in my city of LV both the teachers and the students are screwed. I totally agree with the school supply thing. I have 3 kids and have to save all summer from our already depleted bank account for the next year school supplies and little new clothing. It cost me at the dollar store if I get all on the list for all 3 (2 Jr high and 1 elementary) at least 125.00.

At the same time this city has cut teachers incomes fired a lot of teachers making classrooms which were already big to begin with larger, changing school times that no longer are working because older children and younger children are now out at the same time and the older ones can't pick up the younger ones..........and still the administrators of the school are still driving in company cars and have a much higher income that has been unaffected or affected hardly at all.

I think that most teachers do understand. There are those I've seen that don't and that is sad for them because our school district is not done down sizing and taking away yet. It's just the beginning. Our wonderful new Governor is making sure of that.

Children who do not come from richer families are going to be the ones to suffer the most as politics are going to be an even larger play than ever. It's just sad all the way around.

[von949]

Forget looking for a job.

Make something, build something or start something for yourself.

Having to provide for a family should motivate that person to do better.

[marysway]

Originally Posted by von949

Forget looking for a job.

Make something, build something or start something for yourself.

Having to provide for a family should motivate that person to do better.

I agree to this to a point. Not everyone has that "talent" LOL. I myself consider myself luckier than others. It could always be much worse.

I never ever would have considered myself looking at my bank account with at least enough money to survive until the next payday and then wonder how to pay for this and that but things happen. It's life. again we have more than a lot of families out there do. lifestyles had to change but at least we still have a lifestyle. I can honestly say that the experience has humbled me in a way that makes me not judge people who have less or need a little help to get ahead whether it is helping to babysit kids, sharing food, or giving clothes to those who can't afford them.

LV is still repressed and some of the decisions made by our officials are either a band aide for some issues or it is making a already bad situation worse.
Having children/family to support is plenty motivation but I as life can continue to throw curve balls keeping a roof over your head food on the table and the lights on are just about as much as the motivation some can handled. I met someone recently that can not afford to run her A/C even at 85 degrees. LV is one hot place to live in the summer and her place is screaming HOT but she needs to feed her kids so she had to make a choice. She works full time and lives in a low income type apartment but she is doing the best she can. That is sad. So while you are saying make something of yourself she is has..........works for the state...............took an income hit and can't afford her insurance any longer with that income hit and has to take days off without pay every month but again is a single mom works all day to come home to take care of her kids and do the best she can to do it all over again. Please.....................