McCARRAN, Nev. — Wearing hard hats and firmly squeezing the side of a scissor lift, local nonprofit volunteers and workers rose above the Food Bank of Northern Nevada’s roof Thursday to see nearly 1,000 solar panels absorbing the sun’s rays on a warm winter’s day.

As the food bank is adding on one more capability for its already green-efficient building, it will see a major benefit from converting to solar energy: The money that paid for electricity will now be redirected to the food bank’s mission of feeding people, a savings of $33,000 a year for the next 30 years.

Nonprofit representatives were invited to see the finished product Thursday and encouraged to consider the benefits of renewable energy via solar panels from Black Rock Solar. Black Rock, a nonprofit itself, is responsible for the food bank’s panels as well as panels at many other local schools and organizations.

Installation for the food bank was completed three weeks ago, said Black Rock construction manager Richard Scott. The food bank’s roof has 972 panels that lay flat and absorb the solar rays. The installation handles 150 kilowatts and the panels are designed for the heavy winds to which the food bank location is prone.

In addition to generating electricity, the panels will enhance lighting and energy for the food bank facility, which is about 65,000 square feet.

The space is a dream come true for Jamason and her staff, who worked in a rented, smaller facility for 19 years before moving into their current location in July 2008. The building is paid for, which means the food bank also saves more than $145,000 annually on rent.

Other green features of the space include natural daylighting, lighting controls systems, recycled building materials and drought tolerant landscaping. Inside, the temperature is even, so there are no warmer or cooler spots for which to overcompensate.

According to an information sheet from food bank president Jamason, the combined rent and energy savings enable the food bank to provide:

• 15,000 backpacks filled with food for homeless children; or

• $1.2 million in nutrition benefits per year for 500 families through the food stamp program or

• 415,000 emergency food meals through the food bank’s network of pantries; or

• 2,300 low-income seniors with a monthly 35-pound food box for six months; or

• 75,000 free lunch meals to poor children every summer For the food bank, Black Rock Solar executive director Tom Price said it’s more logical to save the money for more important needs.

“That adds up to tuna fish and peanut butter in the hands of hungry people and in an economy like this, it makes sense to invest in the limited resources we have,” Price said.

There are other components to solar energy, such as rebates, that would make it more enticing to homeowners and businesses, Price said. In October, it became legal for individuals to purchase a solar energy system on someone else’s behalf, a concept called third-party ownership. For example, someone who is renting a house to someone else may purchase solar panels for that house and pay for it on the renter’s behalf.

“Nevada has the best incentives in the country for building renewable energy and the cost of solar panels has dropped 40 percent in the last year,” Price said.

Price said the decline in the costs of purchasing and setting up solar panels is attributable to more manufacturers worldwide becoming more willing to provide them. He also said there’s also an abundance of the energy source, particularly in this area.

“There’s enough sunlight falling on Washoe County to run the entire country,” Price said. But for Storey County, in which the food bank is located, this was Black Rock Solar’s first project.

Black Rock Solar isn’t interested in competing with for-profit solar installation businesses, according to Price. The nonprofit was formed when Nevada’s annual Burning Man became artistically themed with “the Green Man” in 2007. When Price and a few others were given solar panels as donations, Price said an opportunity was created to help companies, schools and other organizations that would ordinarily would not be able to afford the panels on their own.

“Our job is to do projects that are going to get a lot of attention that otherwise wouldn’t and then use that attention to help others,” Price said.