Nevada officials on March 18, 2011 dedicated Sempra Generation’s Copper Mountain Solar, the largest photovoltaic solar plant in the United States. The 48-megawatt (MW) project is adjacent to Sempra Generation’s 10-MW El Dorado Solar installation in Boulder City, Nevada, about 40 miles southeast of Las Vegas. Construction on Copper Mountain Solar began in January 2010 at the 380-acre desert site. Nearly 775,000 thin-film photovoltaic solar panels, which convert sunlight directly into electricity, were installed.
The facility is now generating enough electricity to power about 14,000 average homes. The power from Copper Mountain Solar and El Dorado Solar has been sold to Pacific Gas & Electric under separate 20-year contracts. See the Sempra press release.