Company To Present Plans For Solar Plant In Moapa

By VERNON ROBISON

Moapa Valley Progress

A solar developer is proposing to build a solar power plant on about 100 acres in the Moapa community.
Alternative Power Development; a Boise, Idaho-based company; will be hosting a neighborhood meeting regarding the plan at the Moapa Community Center on Saturday, April 30 from 11 am to 1 pm. All are invited to attend to get more information and give input.

According to preliminary plans, the project would use large arrays of single axis photovoltaic panels, built across the 100 acre strip of land, to generate about 20 megawatts of solar energy.
The plant would also include a small electric substation at its southern end which would direct power onto the Overton Power District (OPD) distribution system, and eventually onto the regional power grid.

In an interview with the Progress, Alternative Power Development managing member Robert Paul explained that the company has not yet found a purchaser for the energy that the plant would produce.
“It is very early in the process still,” Paul said. “As the details generate through, we will be seeking a power purchase agreement with a utility somewhere.”
He expressed willingness to eventually even negotiate with OPD on a local use for the power. But he said those talks are still some time off.

But the major hurdle for the project may be its location. The property identified is a narrow 100 acre strip along the Lawson Drive alignment currently owned by Moapa resident Bob Lewis. The southern end of the parcel begins just north of the Red Cloud Drive neighborhood of Moapa. From there, the parcel stretches to the north, its northern boundary fronting on the Isola Drive alignment.

The parcel is situated in close proximity to the town park, the elementary school and many homes in the area.
“There are a lot of people who are not at all happy about this,” said Moapa resident Ann Schreiber. “People move out here so they can enjoy the beautiful desert views. It wasn’t huge rows of mirrors plastered across the desert that they had in mind.”

But Paul claimed that this small solar facility will be a better neighbor than some other possibilities that might otherwise be developed on the property.
“There is no noise, no traffic, no pollution and it is a very low impact on the land” he said. “There are a lot of much less desirable uses than that could be going on there.”