Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project
Encyclopedia
The Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project, is a 110 megawatt (MW) solar thermal power project currently under construction near Tonopah
, about 190 mile northwest of Las Vegas
.
The project is being developed by SolarReserve
through its subsidiary, Tonopah Solar Energy.
The project will cost about $1 billion.
The project includes 17,500 heliostat
mirrors that collect and focus the sun's thermal energy to heat molten salt
flowing through an approximately 640 feet (195.1 m) tall solar power tower
. The molten salt circulates from the tower to a storage tank, where it is then used to produce steam and generate electricity. Excess thermal energy is stored in the molten salt and can be used to generate power for up to ten hours, even in the evening hours and when direct sunlight isn't available.
Under a power purchase agreement
(PPA) between SolarReserve and NV Energy, all power generated by the Crescent Dunes project in the next 25 years will be sold to Nevada Power Company
for $0.135 per kilowatt-hour.
Ground was broken on September 1, 2011. Construction is expected to take about 30 months.
In late September, Tonopah received a $737 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE).
Tonopah, Nevada
Tonopah is a census-designated place located in and the county seat of Nye County, Nevada. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 6 and 95 approximately mid-way between Las Vegas and Reno....
, about 190 mile northwest of Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
.
The project is being developed by SolarReserve
SolarReserve
SolarReserve is a Santa Monica, California based company that develops utility-scale concentrating solar power plants with integrated molten salt thermal energy storage technology. It was initially founded in early 2008 by US Renewables Group in partnership with United Technologies Corporation...
through its subsidiary, Tonopah Solar Energy.
The project will cost about $1 billion.
The project includes 17,500 heliostat
Heliostat
A heliostat is a device that includes a mirror, usually a plane mirror, which turns so as to keep reflecting sunlight toward a predetermined target, compensating for the sun's apparent motions in the sky. The target may be a physical object, distant from the heliostat, or a direction in space...
mirrors that collect and focus the sun's thermal energy to heat molten salt
Molten salt
Molten salt refers to a salt that is in the liquid phase that is normally a solid at standard temperature and pressure . A salt which is normally liquid at STP is usually called a room temperature ionic liquid, although technically molten salts are a class of ionic liquids.-Uses:Molten salts have...
flowing through an approximately 640 feet (195.1 m) tall solar power tower
Solar power tower
The solar power tower is a type of solar furnace using a tower to receive the focused sunlight. It uses an array of flat, movable mirrors to focus the sun's rays upon a collector tower...
. The molten salt circulates from the tower to a storage tank, where it is then used to produce steam and generate electricity. Excess thermal energy is stored in the molten salt and can be used to generate power for up to ten hours, even in the evening hours and when direct sunlight isn't available.
Under a 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) between SolarReserve and NV Energy, all power generated by the Crescent Dunes project in the next 25 years will be sold to Nevada Power Company
Nevada Power Company
Nevada Power Company is a Las Vegas-based company that produces, distributes and sells electricity in southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of 2005, Nevada Power had over 700,000 electric customers in parts of three Nevada counties creating a service area of more than...
for $0.135 per kilowatt-hour.
Ground was broken on September 1, 2011. Construction is expected to take about 30 months.
In late September, Tonopah received a $737 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
(DOE).