Esmeralda County is located in the southwestern region of Nevada with a population of 783 over 3,582 square miles and includes parts of Inyo National Forest and Death Valley National Park. The County is situated in an excellent area for solar due its above average solar energy resource. Esmeralda County yields 1,638 kWh/kW per year, which is more than 10% greater than the national average of 1,200 kWh/kW per year.
Solar Market Potential
In assessing the potential for solar PV installations in Esmeralda County, the SSTI team considered statewide renewable energy goals as reflected in the Nevada Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). The RPS requires investor owned utilities to produce 25% of electric power via renewable sources by 2025.
Local solar project development keeps the economic and environmental benefits in the community. Targeting development of half of the RPS goal through local/regional solar PV could have the following impact over the next 5 years in Esmeralda County:
| LOCAL IMPACT |
Esmeralda County |
All Western Nevada Jurisdictions (6) |
| Solar Viable Residences |
135 |
20,495 |
| Residential Potential (kW) |
688 |
104,531 |
| Total Market Potential (kW) |
1,503 |
209,423 |
| Annual Energy Production (kWh) |
2,461,000 |
722,983,000 |
| Equivalent Homes Powered |
260 |
76,362 |
| Economic Impact ($) |
$3 million |
$387 million |
| Workforce Impact (Jobs): |
14 |
2,010 |
| Environmental Benefit (acres trees) |
362 |
47,302 |
Visit our methods and assumptions page for more information on these estimates.
Local Installation Requirements
For specific information regarding local solar permitting, zoning, net metering or interconnection procedures, contact the appropriate office listed below.
Permitting & Inspection Procedures
Esmeralda County currently does not require any additional local permits for retrofit solar PV systems. Check with the building department for recent updates.
- Visit Esmeralda County’s website or call (775) 485-3483 for general information
Net Metering & Interconnection Procedures
Nevada Energy and Valley Electric Association are the electricity providers for the County. Solar related information is easily accessible online via the direct links below.
- Visit Nevada Energy’s Solar Webpage for general information
- Nevada Energy’s Net Metering Brochure is available online
- Nevada Energy’s Interconnection Agreement is available online
- Nevada Energy’s solar incentive information can be found by clicking the “Local Solar Financing” button below.
- Visit Valley Electric’s Distributed Generation Webpage for general information
- Valley Electric’s Net Metering Policy is available online
- Valley Electric’s Interconnection Information is available online
Local Solar Resources
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General Solar Resources
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Solar Roadmap
To facilitate efforts to capture the local solar opportunity, the Solar Roadmap team has worked in close coordination with the County to develop a customized, interactive solar roadmap as described and accessible below. This solar roadmap contains specific, actionable steps that can be pursued to improve permitting and inspection processes and develop solar friendly municipal regulations and guidelines.
