The largest photovoltaic plant in the U.S. is now online, as Air Force's Nellis Base currently using it's silicon solar panels to power about a quarter of the entire base with solar energy. The technology is traditional solar electric, meaning that the heat from the sun is absorbed in the photovoltaic cell to produce electricity. Though the power output hovers around 14 MW, the solar electricity process is far more compact and efficient when compared to solar thermal technology that uses the sun's radiation to heat water and produce steam for turning generators. The facility includes more than 72,000 solar panels with six million cells on 140 acres of Nevada land, and providing more than 30 million kilowatt-hours of clean power annually.

What does all of this mean? There seems to be a growing consensus that photovoltaic, while more expensive to install and operate, has a greater power potential than solar thermal technology, meaning that the plant at Nellis Base is an important step to implementing solar power standards that actually equate to real options for commercial and residential use. AND... Nevada Power will support the program by purchasing Renewable Energy Credits generated by the solar facility.