Nye County, Nevada
Tonopah Solar Energy, a subsidiary of SolarReserve, will begin construction in mid-2011 on a $850 million solar power plant in Nye County, Nevada. Sited on 2,250 acres of public land, the 110 megawatt Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project will use fields of mirrors called heliostats to focus sunlight on a receiver tower, heating a transfer fluid used to generate steam. The facility will generate enough electricity to power 75,000 households. SolarReserve is based in Santa Monica, Calif.