Apple will pay for and build a massive solar powered plant to serve a giant data center in northern Nevada. “The Fort Churchill Solar Array, to be built in Yerington, was included in a filing Monday by NV Energy Inc. with the Public Utilities Commission.”
The plant will be located in Lyon County, south of their new data center. The “solar project would provide renewable energy for the data center and add clean energy to the power grid.”
The company said:
“All of Apple’s data centers use 100 percent renewable energy and we are on track to meet that goal in our new Reno data center using the latest in high-efficiency concentrating solar panels.”
The 137 acre project is projected to “generate about 43.5 million kilowatt hours of renewable power.” The move to solar would be equivalent to taking 6400 vehicle off the road each year, according to the company.
Lyon County has the highest unemployment rate in Nevada. The project was hailed by Governor Brian Sandoval as it will bring much needed jobs to the county.