Sen. Harry Reid wants the rest of the country to adopt Nevada's requirement that 20 percent of its power come from renewable energy by the year 2015.

The Nevada Democrat says that even if such a national requirement was pushed back to 2020, it would create at least 185,000 new jobs and save consumers more than $10 billion in lower electricity and natural gas bills.

Reid was testifying Tuesday on Capitol Hill before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He says that with the proper investment, a 100 square-mile area of Nevada could meet the entire nation's electricity demand with solar panels and the right transmission infrastructure.

Unfortunately, Reid says, the nation has been fixated on short-term profits, throwing billions of dollars worth of carbon waste into the atmosphere instead of investing in renewable energy.