17th largest plant in Nevada · 1195th nationally
Copper Mountain Solar 3 is a solar power plant in Nevada with a nameplate capacity of 255 MW. It generates roughly 597.5k MWh per year — enough to power about 56,908 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 27% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Copper Mountain Solar 3 |
|---|---|
| Operator | Consolidated Edison Development Inc. |
| City | Boulder City |
| County | Clark County |
| State | Nevada |
| ZIP | 89006 |
| Coordinates | 35.88942, -114.95791 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 28.0 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| 2 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 27.0 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| 1 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 26.0 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| 3 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 26.0 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| 6 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 26.0 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| 7 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 26.0 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| 8 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 26.0 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| 5 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 25.0 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| 9 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 24.0 MW | Operating | 2015 |
| 10 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 21.0 MW | Operating | 2015 |
| NERC Region | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Los Angeles Department Of Water And Power |
Utility-scale solar farms convert sunlight directly into electricity using photovoltaic panels. They produce zero direct emissions and have no fuel cost, but generation is variable — peaking at midday and falling to zero at night. Capacity factors typically run 18–28% in good locations.