May 24 2010
Harry Reid, the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, presided over a function marking the commencement of operation of the Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) solar power plant at the River Mountains Water Treatment Facility. The CPV plant is operated and owned by the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA). CPV solar systems supplier Amonix designed and developed the plant. Executives of TWC Construction, SNWA and the Environmental Protection Agency were also present at the function.
Out of the $9.5 million investment tax credits that Amonix received from the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, $5.9 million is likely to be spent for establishing a production plant in Southern Nevada. The facility, which is likely to open its doors by the close of 2010, will have manufacturing capacity of 150 MW per year producing CPV solar systems.
SNWA, with the responsibility of meeting the increasing demand for water in the region of Las Vegas by means of its River Mountains facility, partnered with Amonix for installing a CPV solar facility capable of generating 308 kW (DC) of renewable, clean energy, sufficient to power 50 Las Vegas homes per year.
SNWA’s General Manager Pat Mulroy commented that apart from producing clean energy, the novel CPV solar facility will offset 500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions and save 500,000 gallons of water annually in comparison with conventional power production in Southern Nevada.
The other installations in Nevada using the solar systems of Amonix are the NV Energy Edward W. Clark Generating Station and a University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus.