NV Energy to purchase power from upcoming 20-MW solar plant in Nevada
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- Category: Business
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12 Jun 2009
- Published on Friday, 12 June 2009 08:19
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The new solar power plant, when completed, will be among the US’s largest PV installations, and will be larger than the14-MW PV facility at Nellis Air Force Base. Image sourced
from STOCKXPERT
Nevada utility NV Energy yesterday [June 11] said it has entered into a long-term agreement to purchase electricity to be produced by a 20-megawatt (MW) solar array that will be completed by mid-2010. The agreement is subject to approval by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada.
The new solar PV plant will be built near Searchlight, Nevada, 55 miles south of Las Vegas. NV Energy signed the power purchase agreement (PPA) with solar power installer American Capital Energy, which will build the solar project. Terms of the PPA were not disclosed, however.
The new solar power plant, when completed, will be among the US’s largest PV installations, and will be larger than the 14-MW PV facility at Nellis Air Force Base that is presently the largest PV facility operating in the US.
NV Energy supplies electricity to 2.4 million citizens in the state. The upcoming Searchlight Solar I project will power NV Energy’s southern service territory.
American Capital Energy, which is headquartered in Massachusetts, provides project development and construction services for large-scale solar power.
Nevada lies in a region which offers ideal conditions for solar power that also includes California and Arizona. It recently increased its renewables and energy efficiency target to 25% by 2025.
According to the latest report from the Solar Energy Industry Association, Nevada is among the US leaders in solar power installation with 13.9 MW installed in 2008.
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Eric Dorente
Source:
1 http://www.nvenergy.com/company/news/ShowPR.cfm?pr_id=4978
