Nellis Solar Power Plant facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nellis Solar Power Plant
Nellis Solar Power Plant, was the second largest photovoltaic power plant in North America when built
Country	United States
Location	Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
Coordinates	36°15′30″N 115°03′10″W / 36.25833°N 115.05278°W / 36.25833; -115.05278
Commission date	December 17, 2007
Owner(s)	MEMC

The Nellis Solar Power Plant is a large solar power station located at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, near Las Vegas. It can produce 14 megawatts (MW) of electricity. This plant uses photovoltaics, which means it turns sunlight directly into electricity using solar panels.

It officially started working on December 17, 2007. The plant provides more than 25% of the electricity used at Nellis Air Force Base. Each year, it generates about 32 gigawatt-hours of electricity. This power helps over 12,000 military members and civilians at the base. They are responsible for important Air Force training and testing.

The solar plant covers about 140 acres of land. This land is leased from the Air Force. The system uses about 70,000 solar panels. These panels are special because they have a sun tracking system. This system helps the panels follow the sun across the sky. This way, they can capture the most sunlight possible. Construction of the plant began on April 23, 2007. The first part of the plant started producing power on October 12, 2007.

How the Solar Plant Saves Money

The Nellis Solar Power Plant helps the Air Force save a lot of money. The company that owns the solar panels, MMA Renewable Ventures, leases the land for free. In return, Nellis Air Force Base agreed to buy the electricity from them for 20 years. They pay about 2.2 cents for each kilowatt-hour (kW·h) of electricity. This is much cheaper than the 9 cents they used to pay to Nevada Power.

Because of this deal, the Air Force saves about $1 million every year! The plant cost about $100 million to build. However, the Air Force did not pay for this cost. Instead, the money came from other sources, including government help and payments from Nevada Power customers.

The plant was expected to produce 30 GWh of electricity each year. But in its first year, it actually produced about 32 GWh. This was 8% more than expected! This extra power saved the Air Force even more money, about $1.2 million in the first year alone.

How the Solar Plant is Built

The Nellis Solar Power Plant uses 5,821 special devices called T20 single-axis trackers. These trackers are made by Sunpower. They help the solar panels move to follow the sun. The plant has 72,416 solar panels in total. Each panel can produce 200 watts of power.

The plant also uses 54 inverters. These inverters change the electricity from the solar panels into a type of electricity that can be used by the base. Each inverter can handle 250 kW of power. This means the plant's maximum output is about 13.5 megawatts of usable electricity. When working at full power, these inverters are very efficient, about 96% efficient.

About one-third of the solar panels used at the plant were made by a company called Suntech Power.

Nevada's Clean Energy Goals

A section of the Nellis Solar Power Plant

Nevada has rules to encourage more clean energy, like solar power. In 1999, Nevada passed a law called the renewable portfolio standard (RPS). This law required electricity companies to get a certain amount of their power from renewable sources.

In 2001, Nevada made this law even stronger. The new rule said that 15% of all electricity in Nevada must come from new renewable sources by the year 2013. This was one of the strongest clean energy laws in the country at the time. The law also specifically said that at least 5% of these renewable energy projects must use solar power.

Later, in 2005, Nevada updated the law again. They extended the deadline and increased the goal. Now, 20% of all electricity sold in Nevada must come from renewable sources by the year 2015. These laws help make sure that more clean energy projects, like the Nellis Solar Power Plant, are built.

Plant Expansion

There is another solar plant nearby called Nellis Solar PV II. It is located just south of the main base. This newer plant adds another 15 megawatts of power. Construction for Nellis Solar PV II started on March 24, 2015, and it was finished in February 2016.

Presidential Visit

President Barack Obama at the Nellis Solar Power Plant in 2009

President Barack Obama visited the Nellis Solar Power Plant on May 27, 2009. He spoke to a crowd of over 450 people at the facility. His visit highlighted the importance of renewable energy projects like this one.

Power Production Over the Years

The table below shows how much electricity the Nellis Air Force Base Solar Array has produced each month and year. The numbers are in MW·h, which is a way to measure how much electricity is generated over time.