Gemini Solar

Location and site details 

The Gemini solar PV and battery storage project is proposed to be developed on 7,100 acres of federally-owned land administered by the BLM in Clark County, Nevada, approximately 53km north-east of the Las Vegas metropolitan area.

Gemini solar and battery storage facility make-up

The Gemini solar project comprises 690MW of solar PV installations as well as a 380MW battery energy storage facility.

The solar facility will comprise multiple solar array blocks comprising either traditional or bifacial PV modules mounted on horizontal, single-axis trackers.

Each array block will comprise 32 solar panel rows spaced 6m from each other. The space between the bottom of each panel and the ground will vary between 1ft and 8ft.

The integrated battery energy storage system (BESS) will consist of approximately 425 units of 5MWh, four-hour battery storage systems to store excess electricity generation from the PV panels.

Each battery system will comprise approximately 126 individual batteries enclosed within a 12.2m-long, 2.9m-wide and 2.4m-tall container, which will be installed at each power conversion station (PCS) of the solar facility.

One PCS is proposed for every four solar array blocks of the PV solar park.

Electricity from each PCS is proposed to be conveyed to one of the three substations (two 230kV and one 500kV) of the solar facility through 34.5kV collector cables.

Other facilities proposed for the project include a 9.1m-tall meteorological tower, an operation and maintenance (O&M) building, four temporary water ponds, apart from a 20ft-wide perimeter road as well as internal access roads.

Power evacuation

The electricity generated by the Gemini solar facility is proposed to be evacuated through two 230kV and one 500kV gen-tie lines interconnected with NV Energy’s Crystal Substation. The length of each gen-tie line will be up to 7.6km.