New solar test facility at old nuclear site

Solar Demonstration Zone at the Nevada Test Site will pilot DOE and BLM backed concentrating solar power, advancing utility-scale solar, commercialization, and R&D on public lands across the Southwest with private sector cost-sharing.

The US Department of Energy DOE is locating a new solar energy test site at a former nuclear site in Nevada.

The Solar Demonstration Zone will demonstrate solar energy technologies at the Nevada Test Site, a former nuclear site based on lands owned by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management BLM, which is pursuing expedited land leases for solar on suitable public lands, and administered by DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar signed an interagency memorandum of understanding that will enable the DOE to develop innovative solar energy projects at the site, which will act as proving grounds for new solar technologies.

The DOE said the site will provide a critical 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.

“Working closely with the Department of Interior, and with the critical leadership of Senator Reid, we will demonstrate technologies that will lower the cost of solar energy, accelerate the pace of innovation, and help build a clean energy economy.”

Secretary Salazar said that the projects have the potential to significantly reduce the costs and environmental impacts of utility-scale solar power facilities and demonstrate the commercial viability of these facilities, as reflected in the largest-ever solar project approved by federal regulators, which sets a new benchmark.

“President Obama is committed to developing our nation’s new energy frontier, including the promising area of advanced solar energy,” he said.

Under the agreement, the federal government is dedicating more than 25 square miles to solar energy research.

The DOE said it will use the site to demonstrate innovative concentrating solar power CSP technologies, including molten-salt energy storage approaches that enhance dispatchability.

The Solar Demonstration Zone will also complement BLM’s establishment of 24 Solar Energy Study Areas SESAs on public lands across the US southwest, supporting southwest solar development through federal coordination and helping to ensure that the most advanced CSP technologies are ready for commercial deployment.

Plans are underway to create a new DOE funding opportunity for demonstration projects at the Nevada Test Site, and with $87 million for solar technologies recently allocated, it will include matching investments from the private sector, the DOE added.

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