COPPER MOUNTAIN SOLAR 3
OperatingSolar power plant
- Capacity
- 255 MW
- Primary fuel
- Solar
- County
- Clark County
- Operator
- COPPER MOUNTAIN SOLAR 3 LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2014
- EIA plant ID
- 58915
- Generators
- 10
- Technology
- Solar Photovoltaic
- Net generation (2024)
- 611 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 27%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 35.8719, -114.9283
COPPER MOUNTAIN SOLAR 3, a 255 MW Solar power plant in Clark County, Nevada. Operated by COPPER MOUNTAIN SOLAR 3 LLC, commissioned 2014.
How COPPER MOUNTAIN SOLAR 3 compares
With 255 MW of capacity, COPPER MOUNTAIN SOLAR 3 ranks 13th among the 50 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Nevada and 2nd of the 17 operating Solar plants in the state. It accounts for about 18% of Nevada's operating Solar capacity and 2.2% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 10th-largest of the 639 operating Solar plants in the database. Commissioned in 2014, it is newer than 83% of the 49 operating Nevada plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Clark County with 28 other operating plants, including CHUCK LENZIE GENERATING STATION and CLARK (NVE).
EIA-860 lists 10 generators at the site with 255 MW of nameplate capacity, all solar photovoltaic technology. Net generation was 611 GWh in 2024 (a 27% capacity factor), down 1% from 2022. Its generators came online between 2014 and 2015.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is MARKETPLACE (500 kV), about 5.9 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line, about 0.5 miles away. Another 14 operating power plants totaling 4,525 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is CLARK (NVE) (1,243 MW, Natural Gas). Within 50 miles are 2 mapped data centers; the nearest is Fiberhub LAS1 in Las Vegas, about 17.8 miles away.
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records, EIA-860/923 survey data and PeeringDB data center locations; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
COPPER MOUNTAIN SOLAR 3 is a 255 MW solar power plant in Clark County, NV, operated by COPPER MOUNTAIN SOLAR 3 LLC, commissioned in 2014. Clark County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.7 of 5 at the 17th national percentile. Wildfire is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 89th percentile.
Clark County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Share of modeled loss | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 89th | 4.6 of 5 | 16% | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | 4% | 0.02 |
| Riverine flooding | Very High | 48th | 2.9 of 5 | 14% | 7.3 |
| Hail | Relatively High | 33rd | 2.3 of 5 | 66% | 0.12 |
| Heat wave | Very High | 32nd | 2.3 of 5 | <1% | 11.8 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 14th | 1.6 of 5 | <1% | 24.3 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | <1% | 0.30 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | <1% | 2.2 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 1st | 1.0 of 5 | <1% | 0.17 |
Perils not assessed in Clark County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "No Rating" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Ice storm | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Hail exposure and deductible structure
Hail scores 2.3 of 5, which sits in the 1% to 2% percentage deductible range carriers are quoting for that exposure. Named windstorm and severe convective wind score 1.1 of 5, indicating a 1% to 1% wind deductible. Ranges, not single figures. The final structure is set by the carrier.
Percentage hail deductible range: 1% to 2% of insured value. Wind deductible range: 1% to 1%. These are the structures commonly seen at this exposure, not an offer and not a rate.
Modeled annual loss for a 255 MW solar array
At an assumed replacement value of $0.90 per watt, or $229.5M insured, the modeled expected annual loss for a fixed tilt ground mount array in Clark County is $68,006 a year, $267 per MW, 0.03% of insured value.
Heat is modeled as a production risk rather than a property loss: 1.0% of annual yield in this county.
Insurability signal: Standard. Hail carries 66% of modeled loss.
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Clark County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile, and the modeled loss applies the Bywatts solar vulnerability layer. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level. The solar vulnerability layer that turns FEMA building loss into modeled solar loss was derived by Bywatts and revised on physical reasoning. It has not been reviewed by a practising underwriter.