Balancing renewable energy and conservation in Nevada

The Bureau of Land Management has received dozens of solar project applications on federal public lands...

Many of the projects are located along Highway 95, near NV Energy’s proposed Greenlink West transmission line.


A map of Nevada showing where approved and proposed solar projects are located. The majority of projects are in the southern portion of the state and are clustered along major highways.

80

Reno

Proposed Greenlink

transmission lines

93

95

Sarcobatus Flat

15

50 miles

Las Vegas

A map of Nevada showing where approved and proposed solar projects are located. The majority of projects are in the southern portion of the state and are clustered along major highways.

80

Reno

Proposed Greenlink

transmission lines

93

95

Sarcobatus Flat

15

50 miles

Las Vegas

Approved/existing solar area
Proposed solar area
Bureau of Land Management land

...The Nature Conservancy sees room for both solar development and conservation

In a recent study, the conservation group identified national parks, important wildlife habitat, prime farmland and other areas to protect from solar. The group also identified areas where solar may be appropriate.

A map of Nevada showing where approved and proposed solar projects are located. The majority of projects are in the southern portion of the state and are clustered along major highways.

80

Reno

93

95

15

50 miles

Las Vegas

A map of Nevada showing where approved and proposed solar projects are located. The majority of projects are in the southern portion of the state and are clustered along major highways.

80

Reno

93

95

15

50 miles

Las Vegas

Areas to protect
Solar candidate areas

Solar project areas are matched to the nearest Public Land Survey System section. Candidate areas selected by the Nature Conservancy modeling process are possible locations for solar projects, and are not necessarily prescriptive of where projects should be built.

Bureau of Land Management, The Nature Conservancy, ©OpenStreetMap Contributors