New Las Vegas Convention Center hall to get $10.5M in solar panels

The under-construction West Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center is getting solar panels.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority on Tuesday unanimously approved spending $10.5 million for a solar photovoltaic array atop the new $980.3 million convention space.

The 600,000-square-foot grid of panels is expected to generate 8.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, about 30 percent to 40 percent of the expected usage in the building when it opens in January.

SunPower Corp., San Jose, California, won the bid from among six contractors.

The grid will cover about three-quarters of the roof allowing room for future expansion.

The solar photovoltaic installation is a major piece of the LVCVA’s sustainability program.

In 2019, the agency increased its waste diversion rate from 42 percent in 2018 to 74 percent. Enhancements in the campus’ irrigation and landscaping plan resulted in savings of 1.9 million gallons of water so far in the 2019-20 fiscal year.

Operational heating and air conditioning changes have shaved 9 percent off peak demand energy use during this year’s CES.

In a related transaction, the board also approved spending $1.5 million for 19,000 polymer chairs for the expansion.

Brian Yost, chief operating officer of the LVCVA, explaining the nearly $80-per-chair cost, said the chair model is extremely durable and has been successfully used in other parts of the Convention Center.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.