Completion of solar electric-generation array near Las Vegas marked
Officials are celebrating the completion of a utility-scale solar electric generation array near Las Vegas built to power commercial data centers in Northern and Southern Nevada.
The industrial-sized Switch Station 1 and Switch Station 2 power plants commissioned Monday at the Apex Industrial Park are designed to generate enough electricity to meet the needs of 46,000 Nevada homes.
But the 179 megawatts they’ll be able to put out are dedicated to data infrastructure company Switch for facilities in Reno and Las Vegas.
Former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid was among the officials who marked the occasion along with federal land managers, local elected officials, plant owner EDF Renewable Energy and builder First Solar Inc.
An NV Energy executive says the two arrays bring to 16 the number of solar plants in Nevada.
Left, Solar arrays line the desert floor of the Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone as part of the 179-megawatt Switch Station 1 and Switch Station 2 plants north of Las Vegas.