Crescent Dunes Solar Energy

OperatingSolar

Ranked #22 of 62 Solar plants in NV#630 of 7447 nationally

125 MW Solar operating in Nye, NV — Nevada Power Company

EIAGEMWD

125 MW

Nameplate Capacity

Generators

unit

Solar Thermal with Energy Storage

Technology

2015

Operating Since

Location

Coordinates

38.2389, -117.3636

County

Nye, NV

Ownership & Operator

Owner data does not fully agree across sources.

EIA typically reports the operating utility, while GEM resolves to the financial owner or parent corporation. Both can be correct.

Field	EIA	GEM	Wikidata
Operator	Tonopah Solar Energy LLC	SolarReserve [100%]	—
Owner(s)	Tonopah Solar Energy LLC	SolarReserve [100%]	—
Status	Operating	operating	—

Ownership Chain

GEM identifies the owner as SolarReserve [100%]

This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.

About

The Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project is a solar thermal power project with an installed capacity of 110 megawatt (MW) and 1.1 gigawatt-hours of energy storage located near Tonopah, about 190 miles (310 km) northwest of Las Vegas. Crescent Dunes is the first commercial concentrated solar power (CSP) plant with a central receiver tower and advanced molten salt energy storage technology at full scale, following the experimental Solar Two and Gemasolar in Spain at 50 MW. As of 2023, it is operated by its new owner, Vinci SA, and in a new contract with NV Energy, it now supplies solar energy at night only, drawing on thermal energy stored each day.

Read more on Wikipedia

Crescent Dunes Solar Energy is a 125 MW solar thermal power plant located in Nye County, Nevada. The plant, which began operating in 2015, is owned and operated by Tonopah Solar Energy LLC. It utilizes solar thermal technology with energy storage and dual-axis solar tracking. The plant has one generator and its primary fuel source is the sun. Crescent Dunes is ranked as the 12th largest solar plant in Nevada out of 18, and 476th nationally out of 639.

The plant operates within the Nevada Power Company balancing authority and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region. The latest annual generation data indicates an output of 58,997 MWh, resulting in a capacity factor of 5.3%. Financial data indicates a PPA price of $44.88 per MWh.

Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources

Wikipedia EIA Plant Profile Wikidata Global Energy Monitor

Engineering & Generators

Grid Context

NERC Region

WECC

Balancing Authority

Nevada Power Company

Grid Voltage

230 kV

Regulatory Status

Entity Type

Independent Power Producer

Sector

IPP Non-CHP

Generation

7.1K MWh

Latest Month

59.0K MWh

Annual Generation

5.3%

Capacity Factor

Jan 2023 – Dec 2025

Financial DataBeta

Source: FERC Electric Quarterly Reports, LBNL Utility-Scale SolarHIGH

$62.5/MWh

PPA Price

Tonopah Solar Energy LLC

Contract Seller

Per-Unit Cost Trends

Pricing & Market Data

This plant is outside organized wholesale electricity markets (ISOs/RTOs). Nodal pricing data is not available.

News & Articles (10)Beta

Deals·other

Case Summary: Tonopah Solar Energy Chapter 11

Business Description. Tonopah Solar Energy, LLC ("TSE" or the "Debtor") owns and operates the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project (the...

Tonopah Solar Energy, LLC (other)Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project (other)

Bondoro·4 weeks ago

Deals·project finance

Solar Plant Can Tap $5M In DIP Funds As It Eyes Ch. 11 Sale

The owner of the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project can immediately access $5 million of a $10 million debtor-in-possession loan,...

Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project (other)

Law360·4 weeks ago

Industry·corporate

Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project in Tonopah

The Crescent Dunes Solar Plant, some 15 miles north of Tonopah, Nevada, is a solar thermal plant, which generates electricity by boiling water to drive a...

Crescent Dunes Solar Plant (operator)

Atlas Obscura·3 years ago