International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) workers in Boulder City, Nevada, gave Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm and Congresswoman Susie Lee (D-NV) a demonstration of how solar panels are installed during a private tour of a Nevada construction site. The Energy Secretary and Congresswoman toured Arevon’s Townsite Solar Facility in Boulder City on June 11, 2021, to meet workers and promote opportunities in clean energy jobs.
Arevon, North America’s leading renewable energy company, is developing the 232-MWDC/193.95-MWAC solar PV plant south of Las Vegas with Rosendin’s Renewable Energy Group, a true EPC that provides renewable energy design planning, construction and maintenance, for solar and wind energy projects. Company leaders met with Granholm and Lee to explain the project, while IBEW workers demonstrated techniques and described what these jobs mean to them.
“This solar plant is the perfect example of how we can use the potential in clean energy to create good-paying union jobs that grow the economy, reduce energy bills and address climate change,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm. “President Biden’s American Jobs Plan will create millions of clean energy jobs all across the supply chain that will be needed to plan facilities, manufacture materials, install transmission lines and solar panels, and it’s going to help us get our country get to 100% clean electricity by 2035.”
Townsite Solar Facility currently supports 480 construction trade jobs. Since November, IBEW Local 357 workers contributed over 147,800 labor hours through May 2021, with the peak manpower of 520 craft workers. The IBEW has been critical to the success of the project by providing a steady stream of reliable, qualified craft workers.
Rosendin
“As the operator of one of the largest solar portfolios in the country, Arevon is proud of its contribution to Nevada’s clean energy economy,” said Justin Johnson, CEO of Arevon. “At Townsite and beyond, we’ve created thousands of jobs building solar and storage power plants across the country. We appreciate everyone who’s worked on constructing Townsite and we look forward to completing this project by the end of the year.”
The 1,053-acre Townsite project incorporates 528,084 First Solar’s Series 6 PV modules on a NEXTracker Horizontal Single Axis Tracking System and uses Sungrow inverters. Upon completion, the Townsite Solar Facility will be co-located with one of the largest battery energy storage systems (BESS) built to date. Power generated on-site will be distributed underground to a 230-kV substation and overhead generation tie line to the Mead Substation just outside Boulder City.
“The City of Boulder City has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to alternative, renewable energy; it comes from our roots. Hoover Dam generates of 4.5 billion kilowatt-hours annually, keeping power supplied to some eight million people in Arizona, California and Southern Nevada,” said Mayor Kiernan McManus. “Here we are, 85 years after Hoover Dam opened, leading the charge in renewable energy. It’s a source of pride for Boulder City and all of Southern Nevada.”
