Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Silver State solar powering California utility customers

sempra

Tiffany Brown

Solar future: Sempra Energy unveiled El Dorado Energy Solar plant near Boulder City on Jan. 22.

Sempra Energy has expanded its power plant in Boulder City with one of the hemisphere’s largest solar photovoltaic installations.

After producing solar electricity at full capacity for more than a month, the San Diego-based company officially launched its El Dorado solar plant Jan. 22 at a ceremony that included Gov. Jim Gibbons, Boulder City Mayor Roger Tobler, Sempra executives and representatives of both the California and Nevada Public Utilities Commissions.

The solar plant is next to Sempra’s existing natural-gas-fired El Dorado Energy power plant and across Eldorado Valley Drive from Nevada Solar One in Eldorado Valley.

The addition exports solar energy across the border to Pacific Gas & Electric’s northern and central California customers.

The 80-acre plant is one of the first utility-scale solar photovoltaic projects to use thin film technology, which is most popular for residential and small-scale commercial applications.

The plant consists of 167,000 recyclable solar modules installed by Arizona-based First Solar. It is the largest thin film photovoltaic installation operating in North America.

At 10 megawatts, El Dorado hardly stacks up to other electric producers — its sister plant is 480 megawatts, Nevada Solar One is 64 megawatts and the planned coal-fired power plants in Ely are more than 1,000 megawatts each.

But it is comparable to other photovoltaic arrays. North America’s largest photovoltaic array, at Nellis Air Force Base, is just 14 megawatts.

Photovoltaic arrays tend to be smaller because of the historically high cost of panel components.

But with increases in production, construction of larger plants and fluctuation in global demand, the price of photovoltaic panels is expected to continue to drop.

Because of lower construction costs and economies of scale, El Dorado produces the lowest cost solar electricity in the world, according to Sempra Chief Executive Mike Altman, although the company has refused to release cost information, citing competitive concerns.

The unveiling of El Dorado solar plant officially launched Nevada as what Arizona politicians cheekily call an “extension chord for California.” It’s a status our neighbor state has shunned, but which Nevada is desperately seeking.

“We want people to know Nevada is open for business and we want to sell our solar, wind and geothermal,” said Nevada Public Utilities Commissioner Rebecca Wagner, noting that along with jobs and state income these types of projects also help bring down the cost of solar energy for future projects.

Sempra and California Public Utilities commissioners indicated Nevada has set itself up well to attract more renewable energy projects for out-of-state consumption. The permit process is more streamlined and shorter than it would have been on municipal land in California and the state’s business friendly attitude was attractive.

Californians thanked the state and Boulder City for embracing them and the solar project.

“It’s so nice as a Californian when we go to another state and we’re welcomed,” California Public Utilities Commissioner Dian Grueneich said. “Thank you for that.”

With the successful launch of this latest solar plant — on time and on budget, according to Sempra — Boulder City is well on its way to becoming the epicenter of solar energy in Nevada. The miles of flat, sunny desert in Eldorado Valley under its municipal jurisdiction are zoned to accommodate large-scale solar and avoid a lengthy permit process necessary on federal land.

The valley is doubly attractive, solar developers say, because it also has a large transmission line running through it and is near the California and Arizona borders.

“This is an outstanding location,” Altman said.

The city is hoping to capitalize on the strengths of the location to make it the solar energy epicenter of the state — maybe even the West.

Wooing fast-growing solar developers such as Sempra is key to attaining those goals. Sempra wants to develop more than 500 megawatts of solar photovoltaic power in the coming years. Boulder City is hoping the solar company’s experiences in Nevada will draw many of those projects back to Eldorado Valley.

“We want to become world-renowned for solar and we’re near that now,” Tobler said.

He added that photovoltaic was particularly attractive for the city since it does not have significant water needs or pollute the air like other forms of energy.

“Photovoltaic is wonderful for our valley,” he said.

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