FACT BRIEFIs there a plan to use nine million acres of Nevada land for solar energy?
NO
In 2016, the world’s largest solar project was proposed for Nevada on 16,000 acres of land 225 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Sandstone Energy X would have generated between 1,500 and 2,000 megawatts of electricity — enough to power one million homes. However, SolarReserve withdrew its right-of-way application for the project in January 2019 after ongoing operational difficulties with a similar, but much smaller, solar project it operated in Nevada called Crescent Dunes.
The 850-megawatt Battle Born Solar Project, also proposed near Las Vegas, was canceled in 2021 due to aesthetic concerns raised by local citizens.
The world’s largest operational solar project is the Bhadla Solar Park in India, which covers 14,000 acres of land with more than 10 million solar panels that generate up to 2,250 megawatts of electricity.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
KLAS Solar plant near Tonopah producing power for NV Energy after stop during bankruptcy
Nevada Independent NV Energy sends termination notice to massive Tonopah solar project, developer accuses Energy Department of taking over
Electrek The US’s largest solar farm is canceled because Nevada locals don’t want to look at it
Ornate Solar Top 5 Largest Solar Power Plants in the World (2022)
The Nevada Independent is a proud participant in The Gigafact Project — an initiative to safeguard democracy and spread accurate information.
Have you seen a claim online that you want fact-checked? Send us a link here.