Solar power plant opened for the first time on US public land

The first commerical solar power plant on federal land opened on the Nevada-California border Monday in the Mojave desert.

The Enbridge Silver State North project will soon power about 10,000 homes said the Interior Secretary Salazar who was on hand to open the facility.

“This is a landmark day for solar energy and for the nation,” said Salazar, reported the Washington Times.

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“Silver State North was the first solar project we approved on public lands and, 18 months later, the first of our priority projects to provide clean energy to the power grid."

The plant was opened by the Canadian energy giant Enbridge who bought it from solar panel maker First Solar in March.

The US Department of the Interior has approved nearly 30 clean energy projects on public land since 2009, including wind, solar and geothermal plants, in what the Obama administration calls the “all-of-the-above” energy strategy, reported Bloomberg.

Eight of those projects are solar energy plants.

The Silver State North is one of four solar power projects opening on federal land involving First Solar.

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