Energy

AB 479 adds "agrivoltaic purposes" to Nevada's definition of agricultural use for property tax purposes. This means land used for integrated solar energy production combined with crop or animal farming (agrivoltaics) will now qualify for the same 35% tax rate applied to traditional agricultural land. The bill directly affects landowners and developers using agrivoltaic systems by allowing them to apply for agricultural tax assessment instead of standard property taxes. It updates Nevada Revised Statute 361A.030 to define "agrivoltaic purposes" as solar and agriculture occurring together on the same land, with no change to the tax rate or assessment process.

SB 132 appropriates $500,000 from the State General Fund to the Nevada Clean Energy Fund to support qualified clean energy projects in Nevada. This funding covers temporary project funding ("bridge funding"), technical assistance for state/local agencies, and administrative costs for the fund. The fund must submit two reports detailing how the money was spent to the Interim Finance Committee by late 2026 and 2027, and any unused funds must be returned to the State General Fund by September 17, 2027. The bill directly affects clean energy projects receiving grants and requires strict financial accountability for the state funds allocated.

AB 70 requires Nevada's Energy Director to provide county commissioners a formal opportunity to submit written comments on tax break applications from renewable energy facilities, and to consider those comments when deciding whether to approve or deny the requests. This directly affects renewable energy projects seeking partial tax abatements (covering sales/use and property taxes) and county governments that can now formally influence these decisions. The bill updates existing law by adding this comment requirement to the application process without creating new state or local government costs, as noted in the fiscal analysis.

AB 493 requires that propulsion batteries (used in electric vehicles) be disposed of through specialized recyclers, not in regular landfills, and mandates labeling with provider contact information. Battery providers must ensure battery health data is accessible, and recyclers, secondary handlers, and providers must report disposal activities to the state environmental agency. These rules apply to all propulsion batteries sold in the state, affecting manufacturers, recyclers, and auto wreckers handling electric vehicle batteries. The bill also prohibits landfill disposal and sets reporting requirements for waste management compliance.

AB 529 requires solar energy facilities over 1 megawatt (not directly selling to their own end-users) located within rural electric utility service areas to purchase their on-site operational energy ("station power") from those utilities. It mandates these facilities must follow the utility’s established rules, rates, and policies, and grant the utility access to measure their energy usage. The bill applies to facilities operating after January 1, 2026, and defines "rural electric utilities" as co-ops, nonprofits, or municipal utilities serving fewer than 100,000 meters. This directly affects solar developers in rural Nevada areas with local electric service providers. The policy aims to integrate new solar generation with existing local utility infrastructure.