Boulder Solar

The Boulder Solar project is a 150 megawatt (MWAC) photovoltaic power station near Boulder City, Nevada. It was built in two phases by SunPower using its Oasis Power Plant system.[1] The project is co-located with several other large solar power projects in the Eldorado Valley.

Boulder Solar I/II
CountryUnited States
LocationBoulder City
Coordinates35°50′12″N 114°58′28″W
StatusOperational
Commission dateDecember 2016 (BS1)
January 2017 (BS2)
Owner(s)Southern Power (BS1-51%)
New Energy Solar (BS1-49%)
American Electric Power (BS2)
Operator(s)SunPower
Solar farm
TypeFlat-panel PV
single-axis tracking
Site area900 acres (3.64 km2)
Power generation
Nameplate capacity150 MWAC
Capacity factor30.9% (average 2017-2019)
Annual net output407 GW·h, 452 MW·h/acre

Facility details

The 100 MW Boulder Solar 1 began construction on 600 acres in December 2015, and went online in mid-December 2016.[2][3] It uses 288,000 tracker-mounted panels manufactured by SunPower.[4] It has an expected annual production of about 280 GWh and will provide Boulder City with $20 million in land lease payments over the 20-year term.[5][6]

Southern Power purchased a controlling (51%) interest in Boulder Solar 1 in November 2016.[7] New Energy Solar purchased the remaining 49% interest in February 2018.[8] The electricity is being sold to NV Energy under a 20-year power purchase agreement. Along with geothermal power and numerous smaller solar energy installations throughout the city, Boulder Solar 1 allowed Las Vegas to operate all municipal services with renewable energy sources starting at the end of 2016.[3]

The 50 MW Boulder Solar 2, also constructed by SunPower, entered service in January 2017 with an expected annual production of 140 GWh.[9] It is owned by American Electric Power and is also selling its electricity to NV Energy.[9] Apple Inc. motivated this construction phase of the project through the participation of its northern Nevada data centers in the NV GreenEnergy Rider opportunity.[10][11]

Electricity production
Map of solar farms in the Eldorado Valley
Total Facility Generation
(Annual Sum from Both Units Below)
YearTotal Annual MW·h
2016 10,740
2017 405,214
2018 415,341
2019 399,324
Average (2017-2019) 406,626
Generation (MW·h) of Boulder Solar 1 - 100 MW unit) [12]
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2016 10,740 10,740
2017 11,30210,80723,95428,53632,22133,17127,27327,32724,14723,12215,20814,435 271,503
2018 14,65317,35022,67728,88731,58633,85728,38826,65826,16920,71416,62612,538 280,103
2019 13,61615,07724,14025,73728,03526,98630,61229,62424,63423,03915,64710,987 268,134
Generation (MW·h) of Boulder Solar 2 - 50 MW unit) [13]
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2017 5,5076,53612,29613,79515,69816,30613,48013,26511,66611,0847,1976,881 133,711
2018 7,0798,14611,00614,01415,31116,52213,92312,72312,6569,9027,9595,997 135,238
2019 6,5517,32211,69712,62313,88515,37514,98212,65011,99911,2637,5645,279 131,190

See also

References
  1. "SunPower to Build 100-Megawatt Solar Power Plant for NV Energy". SunPower. July 23, 2015.
  2. "SunPower Starts Construction on 100 Megawatt Boulder Solar Plant for NV Energy". SunPower. December 3, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  3. Miller, Hayley (20 December 2016). "The City Of Las Vegas Is Now Powered Entirely By Renewable Energy". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  4. "Boulder Solar I Facility" (PDF). Southern Power. May 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  5. Barhanovich, Jody (2018-02-21). "New Energy Solar buys stake in Nevada solar facility". IREI - Institutional Real Estate, Inc. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  6. "Council OKs $20 million solar lease". Boulder City Review. October 7, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  7. "Southern Power Buys Boulder Solar I Facility in Nevada". Electric Light and Power. November 18, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  8. "Boulder Solar I". New Energy Solar. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  9. Kelsey Misbrener (February 14, 2017). "50-MW Boulder Solar 2 power plant now serving NV Energy customers". Solar Power World. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  10. "Solar Resources". NV Energy. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  11. "NV Energy Starts Power Delivery from 50 MW Boulder Solar II Project in Nevada, US". powerinfotoday.com. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  12. "Boulder Solar 1, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  13. "Boulder Solar 2, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
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