Funding is by a combination of private and taxpayer supplied dollars.
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada have announced the site of a “Solar Demonstration Zone” for emerging solar energy technologies.
The Solar Demonstration Zone will be located in the southwest corner of the Nevada Test Site, a former nuclear site, on lands owned by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and administered by DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration.
Secretaries Chu and Salazar signed an interagency Memorandum of Understanding that will enable the Department of Energy to develop “innovative solar energy projects” there.
These projects will serve as proving grounds for new solar technologies, providing a link between DOE’s advanced technology development and full-scale commercialization efforts.
“The Nevada Test Site is about to play a new role in securing America’s future – but instead of testing nuclear weapons, we will test new solar technologies that will help put America on a sustainable energy path,” said Secretary Chu.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management oversees 23 million acres of Southwestern lands with solar potential, and could play an important role in supporting renewable energy goals.
“These projects on BLM land in Nevada can significantly reduce the costs and environmental impacts of utility-scale solar power facilities and demonstrate the commercial viability of these facilities,” Secretary Salazar said.
Under the agreement, the federal government is dedicating more than 25 square miles to solar energy research – an area larger than Manhattan. DOE will use the site to demonstrate innovative Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies. CSP systems concentrate the sun’s energy and capture that energy as heat, which then drives an engine or turbine to produce electricity.
The Solar Demonstration Zone will complement BLM’s establishment of 24 Solar Energy Study Areas (SESAs) on public lands across the U.S. Southwest. Plans are underway to create a new DOE funding opportunity for demonstration projects at the Nevada Test Site that will include matching investments from the private sector.
DOE said it selected this site after reviewing 26 possible locations, evaluating factors including solar conditions, suitable terrain, and existing infrastructure to support solar projects.
In addition to collaborating with each other, BLM and DOE are working in close coordination with the U.S. Air Force to identify and address potential problems with locating and operating the Solar Demonstration Zone at the Nevada Test Site. The site will serve as a test bed for other solar projects proposed near military installations throughout the desert southwest.