Copper Mountain Solar Facility
Encyclopedia
The Copper Mountain Solar Facility is a 48 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic power plant in Boulder City, Nevada
Boulder City, Nevada
Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately from the City of Las Vegas. As of the 2010 census the population of Boulder City was 15,023.Boulder City is one of only two cities in Nevada that prohibit gambling....

. Sempra Generation
Sempra Energy
Sempra Energy is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego, California. It divides its interests into two broad categories: Sempra Utilities, including Pacific Enterprises/Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric; and Sempra Global, a holding company for...

 announced on December 1, 2010 that it had finished the project and the facility was generating electricity. When the facility entered service, it was the largest photovoltaic plant in the U.S.

The power from Copper Mountain Solar Facility has been sold to Pacific Gas & Electric under a 20-year power purchase agreement
Power Purchase Agreement
Power Purchase Agreements are contracts between two parties, one who generates electricity for the purpose of sale and one who is looking to purchase electricity . There are various forms of Power Purchase Agreements; these are differentiated by the source of energy harnessed...

 (PPA).

History

Sempra Generation
Sempra Energy
Sempra Energy is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego, California. It divides its interests into two broad categories: Sempra Utilities, including Pacific Enterprises/Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric; and Sempra Global, a holding company for...

 built the plant from January 2010 to December 1, 2010, at a cost of about $141 million.

At its construction peak more than 350 workers were installing the 775,000 First Solar
First Solar
First Solar, Inc. is an American manufacturer of thin film photovoltaic modules, or solar panels, and a provider to PV power plants of supporting services that include finance, construction, maintenance and end-of-life panel recycling...

 panels on the 380 acres (1.5 km²) site.

An expansion of the facility by more than 200 MW was approved in 2010.
On August 4, 2011, Sempra announced a plan to expand the facility by 92 MW to be online in January 2013 and another 58 MW to be added by 2015.

See also

  • List of concentrating solar thermal power companies
  • List of photovoltaic power stations
  • List of solar thermal power stations
  • Nevada Solar One
    Nevada Solar One
    Nevada Solar One is a concentrated solar power plant, with a nominal capacity of 64 MW and maximum capacity of 75 MW spread over an area of 400 Acres. The projected CO2 emissions avoided is equivalent to taking approximately 20,000 cars off the road annually. The project required an investment of...

  • Renewable energy in the United States
    Renewable energy in the United States
    Renewable energy accounted for 14.3 percent of the domestically produced electricity in the United States in the first six months of 2011. Hydroelectricity is the largest producer of renewable power in the United States. In 2009, the U.S...

  • Renewable portfolio standard
    Renewable Portfolio Standard
    A Renewable Portfolio Standard is a regulation that requires the increased production of energy from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal...

  • Solar power plants in the Mojave Desert
    Solar power plants in the Mojave Desert
    There are several solar power plants in the Mojave Desert which supply power to the electricity grid. Solar Energy Generating Systems is the name given to nine solar power plants in the Mojave Desert which were built in the 1980s. These plants have a combined capacity of 354 megawatts making them...

  • Solar power in Nevada
    Solar power in Nevada
    Solar power in Nevada has been growing, due to a Renewable Portfolio Standard which requires 20% renewable energy by 2015, and 5% from solar power...

  • Solar power in the United States
    Solar power in the United States
    Solar power in the United States is an area of considerable activity and there are many utility-scale solar power plants. The largest solar power installation in the world is the Solar Energy Generating Systems facility in California, which has a total capacity of 354 megawatts...

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