Switch breaks ground on 3 solar, battery projects in Nevada

Las Vegas-based data-center operator Switch announced the groundbreaking Wednesday on three solar and battery storage developments in Nevada as part of a project expected to add more than 1,000 jobs.

The three new project sites, in Clark and Storey counties, will use thousands of solar panels made by First Solar, according to a statement from Switch. Energy will be stored in Tesla Megapacks made at the Tesla Gigafactory in Storey County. Capital Dynamics, a global asset manager, partnered with Switch on the project, named Gigawatt 1, according to the statement.

“In the midst of this unprecedented moment in our state’s history, Switch and its partners are investing $1.3 billion, creating over a thousand new jobs and accelerating Nevada’s leadership in the world’s renewable energy economy,” Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said in the statement.

Storey County’s solar site will be the largest behind-the-meter solar project in the world, meaning it generates power off the grid and doesn’t affect public utilities, the statement said.

When combined with the project’s Townsite development, the four sites will produce 555 megawatts of solar power and 800 megawatt-hours of battery storage, the statement said.

“This project also ensures Switch’s power costs will remain in the 5 cent a KWh range and Switch clients will continue to enjoy low-cost, 100% renewable power for decades to come,” Adam Kramer, Switch’s executive vice president of strategy, said in the statement.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.