Nevada approves 1.2 gigawatts of new solar capacity


Nevada recently approved more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of new solar capacity and 590 megawatts (MW) of energy storage — more than 37 other U.S. states currently have combined, PV Magazine reported. The new capacity is part of the Nevada Public Utilities Commission’s pledge to double its renewable energy production by 2023.

The electricity will be generated by three new giant solar arrays in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas — one on federally owned land and the other two on the Moapa River Indian Reservation and the Moapa Band of Paiutes Indian Reservation. The projects — Gemini Solar+Storage, Southern Bighorn Solar & Storage Center, and Arrow Canyon Solar — will generate a total of 1,190 MW of electricity and are slated to come online in the next four years, according to Utility Drive. The Gemini project is one of the largest combined solar and storage projects in development in the United States, with a price tag of $1 billion.

The Nevada legislature passed a bill earlier this year requiring that the state’s utility produce 50 percent of its power from renewables by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050. The state currently generates more than 24 percent of its electricity from renewables, and has 57 geothermal, solar, hydropower, wind, and biomass projects in its portfolio, either in operation or under development.


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