Overview of solar power in the U.S. state of 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.[1]
The number and size of
photovoltaic power stations in Nevada has been growing rapidly since about 2010. As of 2018, the largest is the 552 MW
Copper Mountain Solar Facility near
Boulder City, which is a group of co-located units, each sized up to 250 MW.[2][3][4][5] Another 250 MW unit has been approved for construction, which could make it the
largest solar facility in the United States.[6][7] Earlier notable solar facilities in the state include the 14.2
megawatt (MW-peak), 140 acre
Nellis Solar Power Plant, and the 64 MW, 400 acre concentrating solar thermal power plant
Nevada Solar One, which both began operation in 2007.
Nevada has also been a leader in low-cost solar electricity generation, establishing several milestones. The Nellis plant was able to provide
Nellis Air Force Base with electricity for only 2.2 cents/kWh—compared to the 9 cents they were paying Nevada Power—by selling
renewable energy credits (RECs).[8] In 2015, the 100 MW Playa Solar 2 project—to be constructed by
First Solar with a 20-year power purchase agreement with
NV Energy - was proposed for $0.0378 per
kilowatt-hour. This was below the lowest price of $0.046 available the previous year from the 100 MW
Boulder Solar plant.[9] In 2018, the 300
megawatt (MWAC)
Eagle Shadow Mountain Solar Farm was approved for construction with flat rate of $0.02376 per kilowatt-hour throughout its 25-year PPA term, which could establish a new record.[10][11][12]
Solar photovoltaic and/or thermal power has also been proposed to augment some
geothermal power plants in the region—which struggle to meet demand during mid-day peak hours due to their higher bottom of the
thermodynamic cycle—since the solar plants will peak at that time.[13][14][15]
As of February 2022, there are 26 large proposed projects in Nevada, totaling over 21 GW of capacity, or five times the state's existing solar capacity. These projects also include more than 17 GW of energy storage.[16] Half of these were proposed in
Nye County, which would be enabled by two new transmission lines, though some are close to
Death Valley National Park.[17]
Solar-related businesses in Nevada
Prominent Nevada-based solar installation companies include 702 Energy Savers, Radiant Solar, Summerlin Energy, Bombard Renewable Energy, and Hamilton Solar.[18]
Nevada had 129 MW in private installations of
rooftop solar in 2015.[19]
Incentives
The federal Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit (
income tax credit on IRS Form 5695) for residential PV and solar thermal was extended in December 2015 to remain at 30% of system cost (parts and installation). There is no maximum cap on the credit, and the credit can be applied toward the
Alternative Minimum Tax, and any excess credit (greater than that year's tax liability) can be rolled into the following year.[20][21]
Net Metering Controversy
Net energy metering rules were changed in December 2015, unfavorably for homeowners having or considering rooftop solar, and were applied even to existing installations. Some major installers, including SolarCity, Vivint, and SunRun, withdrew from the Nevada market.
Beginning with the 2014 data year, Energy Information Administration has estimated distributed solar photovoltaic generation and distributed solar photovoltaic capacity. These non-utility scale estimates project that, Nevada, generated the following additional solar energy.
Estimated Distributed Solar Electric Generation in Nevada[40][41]
^Spector, Julian (2018-06-12).
"Nevada's 2.3-Cent Bid Beats Arizona's Record-Low Solar PPA Price". www.greentechmedia.com. Retrieved 2019-01-22. Instead, we can turn to 8minutenergy's 300-megawatt Eagle Shadow Mountain Solar Farm, which clocks in at a flat rate of $23.76 per megawatt-hour throughout its 25-year PPA term.
^Sherwood, Larry (July 2014).
"U.S. Solar Market Trends 2013"(PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Retrieved 2014-07-17.
^Sherwood, Larry (July 2013).
"U.S. Solar Market Trends 2012"(PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 16. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
^Sherwood, Larry (August 2012).
"U.S. Solar Market Trends 2011"(PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Archived from
the original(PDF) on 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
^Sherwood, Larry (June 2011).
"U.S. Solar Market Trends 2010"(PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Retrieved 2011-06-29.
^Sherwood, Larry (July 2010).
"U.S. Solar Market Trends 2009"(PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Archived from
the original(PDF) on 2010-09-25. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
^Sherwood, Larry (July 2009).
"U.S. Solar Market Trends 2008"(PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 16. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 2009-11-23. Retrieved 2010-07-24.
^"Electric Power Monthly-Data Browser "
[2] retrieved 2019-3-17
^“Electric Power Monthly”
[3] |title=Electric Power Monthly (February 2019 with data for December 2018) - Table 6.2.B. Net Summer Capacity using Primarily Renewable Sources retrieved 2019 3 17
^“Electric Power Monthly”
[4] |title=Electric Power Monthly (February 2019 with data for December 2018) - Table 1.17.B. Net Generation from Solar Photovoltaic retrieved 2019 3 17