A city with ample sun at its disposal, Las Vegas unveiled three solar powered carports and a charging station for electric vehicles that the city's government affirms will cut its energy expenditures and provide jobs for its ailing economy.

The first of the three planned photovoltaic carports was dedicated late last week at the Stupak Community Center near the Stratosphere Hotel. Made and assembled in the U.S., the solar panels are a boon to the local economy and will enable the city to reduce its electricity bills.

The projects were funded by 2009's Federal Stimulus Bill. The city's chief sustainability officer, Tom Perrigo, affirmed that the carports at the Stupak Center will generate about 50,000 kilowatt-hours of clean energy per year, offsetting 30 percent of the building's energy needs. Also available at the facility is an electric vehicle charging station that the city hopes will help it to gauge demand for the tool.

The other two solar carports will be installed at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum and a fire station off the Strip. Funding for the project came from a $1.2 million HUD grant and a rebate check from the utility company NV Energy. Perrigo asserts that in total the three projects will cut annual electricity bills by $28,000.