The Boulder Solar project is a 150
megawatt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after Jame ...
(MW
AC)
photovoltaic power station
A photovoltaic power station, also known as a solar park, solar farm, or solar power plant, is a large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power system (PV system) designed for the supply of merchant power. They are different from most building ...
near
Boulder City, Nevada
Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2020 census, the population of Boulder City was 14,885. The city took its name from Boulder Canyon. Boulder City is one of on ...
. It was built in two phases by
SunPower using its Oasis Power Plant system. The project is co-located with several other large
solar power
Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic ef ...
projects in the
Eldorado Valley
Eldorado Valley, or El Dorado Valley, is a Great Basin valley in the Mojave Desert southeast of Las Vegas and southwest of Boulder City, Nevada. The valley is endorheic, containing the Eldorado Dry Lake. The Great Basin Divide, transects ridgelin ...
.
Facility details
The 100 MW Boulder Solar 1 began construction on 600 acres in December 2015, and went online in mid-December 2016.
It uses 288,000 tracker-mounted panels manufactured by SunPower.
It has an expected annual production of about 280 GWh and will provide Boulder City with $20 million in land lease payments over the 20-year term.
Southern Power purchased a controlling (51%) interest in Boulder Solar 1 in November 2016. New Energy Solar purchased the remaining 49% interest in February 2018. The electricity is being sold to
NV Energy under a 20-year
power purchase agreement
A power purchase agreement (PPA), or electricity power agreement, is a contract between two parties, one which generates electricity (the seller) and one which is looking to purchase electricity (the buyer). The PPA defines all of the commercial te ...
. Along with
geothermal power
Geothermal power is electrical power generated from geothermal energy. Technologies in use include dry steam power stations, flash steam power stations and binary cycle power stations. Geothermal electricity generation is currently used in 2 ...
and numerous smaller solar energy installations throughout the city, Boulder Solar 1 allowed
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...
to operate all municipal services with
renewable energy sources starting at the end of 2016.
The 50 MW Boulder Solar 2, also constructed by SunPower, entered service in January 2017 with an expected annual production of 140 GWh.
It is owned by American Electric Power and is also selling its electricity to NV Energy.
Apple Inc. motivated this construction phase of the project through the participation of its northern Nevada
data centers in th
NV GreenEnergy Rider opportunity
Electricity production
See also
*
Nevada Solar One
*
Copper Mountain Solar Facility
The Copper Mountain Solar Facility is a 802 megawatt (MW AC) solar photovoltaic power plant in Boulder City, Nevada, United States. The plant was developed by Sempra Generation. When the first unit of the facility entered service on Dece ...
*
Techren Solar Project
The Techren Solar Project is a 400 megawatt (MW AC) solar photovoltaic power plant near Boulder City, Nevada. Electricity production began with completion of the two building phases in 2019–2020. The project is co-located with several othe ...
*
Solar power in Nevada
Solar power in Nevada is growing due to a Renewable Portfolio Standard which requires 50% renewable energy by 2030. The state has abundant open land areas and some of the best solar potential in the country.
Solar power plants
The number and ...
*
List of power stations in Nevada
References
External links
NV Energy Renewable Energy 2015
{{Solar power in the United States
Solar power in the Mojave Desert
Photovoltaic power stations in the United States
Buildings and structures in Clark County, Nevada
Energy infrastructure completed in 2016
Solar power stations in Nevada
2016 establishments in Nevada