San Jose-headquartered solar producer SunPower has entered into a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) that will see Nevada utility NV Energy purchase solar power from a 100 MW solar PV plant to be constructed in the state.
SunPower will begin development of the project which has been titled Boulder Solar before the end of the year, and is scheduling commercial operation to begin at some point in 2016. During construction, some 200 jobs will be created, and the completed solar plant will deliver enough clean solar energy to meet the needs of 15,000 local households.
Once completed, ownership of the Boulder Solar plant will likely pass to 8point3 Energy Partners, the yieldco created as a joint venture between SunPower and First Solar.
SunPower will integrate its new SunPower Oasis Power Plant system at the site, which has been designed as a modular solar power block solution for utility-scale PV plants that optimizes land use and ensures a quicker, and therefore more cost-effective, installation.
"Today, power generated from solar plants is cost-competitive with power from traditional, fossil fuel burning plants and becoming more cost-competitive every day," said SunPower CEO and president Tom Warner. "Increasingly, utilities are adding solar to their energy mix to ensure their customers are taking advantage of the reliable and emission-free power of the sun.
"We are pleased to partner again with NV Energy to enable more Nevada homes and businesses to take advantage of the states abundant solar resource."
SunPower currently has two solar PV plants under construction in the state, including a 15 MW plant at Nellis Air Force Base and a 19.9 MW PV array in Lyon County.
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