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Nellis Air Force Base solar installation in pictures
December 17, 2007 - by Dallas Kachan, Cleantech Group
Solar industry and media types gathered in the desert of Nevada today... but it wasn't for Burning Man this time.
No, today marked the formal commissioning of a 14 megawatt solar photovoltaic system at Nellis Air Force Base outside of Las Vegas, touted as North America’s largest solar photovoltaic installation (see Biggest U.S. solar PV install underway at Air Force base).
An Air Force F-18 streaks skywards in the background.
The array is supplying approximately 25 percent of the total power used at the base, home of the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center and some 12,000 fine men and women responsible for the Air Force's air combat training, tactics development and testing.
Covering 140 acres of land at the western edge of the Nellis base, the photovoltaic system is based on 72,000 solar panels using SunPower's Tracker technology.
The project is a joint venture of the U.S. Air Force, MMA Renewable Ventures, SunPower and the Nevada Power Company.
And, as solar installations go, it's pretty attractive. Matt Cheney, CEO of MMA, proudly told a recent investor conference, "this is artwork. You should sell photos of this. It’s brilliant!"
So if a few photos of the site aren't necessarily worth thousands of dollars for Cheney, or us, they're at least worth sharing with you.
In that spirit, here are some selected shots of the facility. Um, free.
Copyright © 2007 Cleantech Group LLC. All rights reserved, including right of redistribution.
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Submitted on March 17th, 2008 by tabi (not verified)The most important issue with solar panels is capital cost (installation and materials). Because of much increased demand, the price of silicon has risen and shortages occurred in 2005 and 2006. Newer alternatives to standard crystalline silicon modules including casting wafers instead of sawing, thin film, amorphous, microcrystalline, concentrator modules, 'Sliver' cells, and continuous printing processes.
Solar Scam
Submitted on August 20th, 2009 by Blaine Nay (not verified)This solar boondogle will take 100 years to pay itself off -- if it lasts that long! Solar- and wind-power are only for environmentalists that can't or won't understand economics, math, or science and for remote off-the-grid sites. Another factor is the substantial toxic waste resulting from the manufacture of solar system components. All government subsidies of "alternative energy" scams such as solar and wind power and electric and hybrid cars must cease immediately.
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