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Friday, July 11, 2025 at 12:02 AM
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New Permanent Exhibit at Museum – Green Energy in Churchill County

New Permanent Exhibit at Museum – Green Energy in Churchill County
Mel Glover, Rae Sottile, and Brian Wignall installing
the Green Energy exhibit. Photos courtesy of
Churchill County Museum.

The Churchill County Museum officially opened its new permanent exhibit last Friday, Green Energy, in Churchill County.

According to Museum Director Mel Glover, during COVID Enel, the Italian-owned green energy company that owned geothermal and solar plants in Stillwater and Salt Wells donated grant funding to build a permanent exhibit. Enel has since been sold to Ormat, but this exhibit is the culmination of that grant.

“Rae (Sottile, Museum Curator) has been researching geothermal, hydroelectricity, and solar,” Glover said. “We went out to Lahontan Reservoir, and TCID (Truckee-Carson Irrigation District) took us on a tour of the dam; we saw the equipment from the early 1900s, the new power plant, and we toured the 26-foot drop and saw the generation there.” 

He explained that coming to Fallon from Wyoming, he was initially worried about the oil and coal industries but was assured those were not concerns here. However, in their research, the team learned of the early, failed oil exploration in Stillwater that eventually led to the discovery of steam and modern geothermal developments. 

“We found several instances where speculators had taken pictures of oil rigs drilling exploration wells and using those to promote “land sales” speculation,” Glover said. “They would claim to hit oil, advertise bond for sale, and then they would split, never to be seen again.”  

Churchill County was before its time in producing green energy and electrifying the community because of the Newlands Project, which was begun in 1905, leading to the production of hydroelectric power as water was released through the dam into the Carson River.

With the modern development of geothermal resources and one of the first-of-its-kind hybrid geothermal/solar projects, Churchill County officials have said for years that, on the net, the county can boast of being 100% powered by green energy.  

Brian Wignall, who has twenty years of experience working with museums and is a recognized expert in his field, helped develop the exhibit and was on hand for the setup. “He helped us with the exploded view of the solar panel, and there is a piece that is bike pedals that you can crank with your hands to actually light up an LED, a fluorescent, and an incandescent light bulb and you can actually feel the [heat] difference,” Glover said.

He is particularly excited about this exhibit and encourages the community to stop by and take a look. “From the machinery built in the early 1900s that is still generating power through the hydro plants at Lahontan on the west of the valley to the high-tech machines that run the geothermal and solar plants on our eastern side, we have a community that has always embraced the renewable energy industry.” 

 “Come see the energy exhibit. It will be really fun for the kids and the big kids,” Glover said.

The Museum is at 1050 S. Maine Street and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

 

 

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Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I knew Sam as a member of our church growing up. He always had a warm smile, a kind word, and a great sense of humor! He will be great missed!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:57 AMComment source: Obituary -- Samuel Bruce WickizerComment author: Mike HinzComment text: Great teacher, great coach, but even a better person!!! Rest in peace Mr. BeachComment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:53 AMComment source: Obituary -- Jack Victor Beach, Jr.Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I had Mrs Hedges for First Grade at Northside Elementary in 1969. I still, to this day, remember her as a wonderful teacher…one of my favorites!!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:29 AMComment source: Obituary - Nancy Marie Hedges C Comment author: Carl C. HagenComment text: What are MFNs and PBMs ?? ............................ From the editor: This is a very good question and we apologize for not catching that wasn't in there. We reached out to the writer/submitter and got this info back...hope it's helpful. PBM: Pharmacy Benefit Managers are pharmacies that are owned by insurance companies. (CVS is one.) They negotiate with drug makers to get reduced pricing for medications, but they historically have not passed along those savings to patients. https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/pharmacy-benefit-managers-staff-report.pdf MFN: Most Favored Nation pricing is a policy that means a country agrees to offer the same trade concessions (like tariffs or price reductions) to all member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). When applied to pharmaceuticals, it could disrupt global access, deter innovation, and obscure the deeper systemic issues in American health care. https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2025/05/22/the-global-risks-of-americas-most-favored-nation-drug-pricing-policy/Comment publication date: 6/23/25, 7:47 AMComment source: L E T T E R TO THE EDITOR
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