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

Nevada Electricity Generation Sources Pie Chart

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 Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Boulder City was 14,885. The city took its name from Boulder Canyon ( ...

, which is a group of co-located units, each sized up to 250 MW. Another 250 MW unit has been approved for construction, which could make it the largest solar facility in the United States. Earlier notable solar facilities in the state include the 14.2

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 James ...

(MW-peak), 140 acre Nellis Solar Power Plant, and the 64 MW, 400 acre concentrating solar thermal power plant

Nevada Solar One Nevada Solar One is a concentrated solar power plant, with a nominal capacity of 64 Watt, MW and maximum steam turbine power output up to 72 MW net (75 MW gross), spread over an area of . The projected Carbon dioxide, CO2 emissions ...

, 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 Nellis Air Force Base ("Nellis" colloq.) is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in " Military ...

with electricity for only 2.2 cents/kWh - compared to the 9 cents they were paying Nevada Power - by selling renewable energy credits (RECs). In 2015, the 100 MW Playa Solar 2 project - to be constructed by

First Solar First Solar, Inc. is an American manufacturer of solar panels, and a provider of utility-scale PV power plants and supporting services that include finance, construction, maintenance and end-of-life panel recycling. First Solar uses rigid thi ...

with a 20-year power purchase agreement with

NV Energy NV Energy is a public utility which generates, transmits and distributes electric service in northern and southern Nevada, including the Las Vegas Valley, and provides natural gas service in the Reno–Sparks metropolitan area of northern Nevada ...

- 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. In 2018, the 300

(MWAC)

Eagle Shadow Mountain Solar Farm Eagle Shadow Mountain Solar Farm is a planned 420 MWp (300 MWAC) photovoltaic power station north of Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada on the Moapa River Indian Reservation. The facility is being developed by 8minutenergy Renewables a ...

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. 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 A thermodynamic cycle consists of a linked sequence of thermodynamic processes that involve transfer of heat and work into and out of the system, while varying pressure, temperature, and other state variables within the system, and that eventual ...

- since the solar plants will peak at that time. 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. Half of these were proposed in

Nye County Nye County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,591. Its county seat is Tonopah. At , Nye is Nevada's largest county by area and the third-largest county in the contiguous United States, behi ...

, which would be enabled by two new transmission lines, though some are close to Death Valley National Park.

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. Nevada had 129 MW in private installations of

rooftop solar A rooftop solar power system, or rooftop PV system, is a photovoltaic (PV) system that has its electricity-generating solar panels mounted on the rooftop of a residential or commercial building or structure. The various components of such a syst ...

in 2015.2016 State of the Interconnection
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Incentives

The federal Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit (

income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable 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 The alternative minimum tax (AMT) is a tax imposed by the United States federal government in addition to the regular income tax for certain individuals, estates, and trusts. As of tax year 2018, the AMT raises about $5.2 billion, or 0.4% of all ...

, and any excess credit (greater than that year's tax liability) can be rolled into the following year.

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. After a public outcry, the earlier favorable rules were

grandfathered A grandfather clause, also known as grandfather policy, grandfathering, or grandfathered in, is a provision in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations while a new rule will apply to all future cases. Those exempt from t ...

for up to 32,000 customers whose systems were active or had a pending application by December 31, 2015. The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada approved bill AB405 in 2017 to restore net metering.

Statistics

2015 Monthly Profile of Solar Energy for NV

(*) Preliminary data from Electric Power Monthly. 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.

References

External links

IRS Form 5695 - Residential Energy Credits
an
instructions
{{Energy in the USA Energy in Nevada

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

Solar power in Nevada