CRESCENT DUNES SOLAR ENERGY
OperatingSolar power plant
- Capacity
- 125 MW
- Primary fuel
- Solar
- County
- Nye County
- Operator
- TONOPAH SOLAR ENERGY LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2015
- EIA plant ID
- 57275
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Solar Thermal with Energy Storage
- Net generation (2024)
- 154 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 14%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 38.2389, -117.3636
CRESCENT DUNES SOLAR ENERGY, a 125 MW Solar power plant in Nye County, Nevada. Operated by TONOPAH SOLAR ENERGY LLC, commissioned 2015.
How CRESCENT DUNES SOLAR ENERGY compares
With 125 MW of capacity, CRESCENT DUNES SOLAR ENERGY ranks 20th among the 50 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Nevada and 4th of the 17 operating Solar plants in the state. It accounts for about 9.0% of Nevada's operating Solar capacity and 1.1% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 27th-largest of the 639 operating Solar plants in the database. Commissioned in 2015, it is newer than 91% of the 49 operating Nevada plants with a recorded commissioning year.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 125 MW of nameplate capacity, all solar thermal with energy storage technology. Net generation was 154 GWh in 2024 (a 14% capacity factor), up 53% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is ANACONDA (230 kV), about 6.1 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 120 kV line owned by SIERRA PACIFIC POWER COMPANY, about 1.0 miles away.
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
CRESCENT DUNES SOLAR ENERGY is a 125 MW solar power plant in Nye County, NV, operated by TONOPAH SOLAR ENERGY LLC, commissioned in 2015. Nye County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.1 of 5 at the 2nd national percentile. Earthquake is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 90th percentile.
Nye County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Share of modeled loss | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 90th | 4.6 of 5 | 15% | 0.04 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 78th | 4.1 of 5 | 52% | 1.8 |
| Heat wave | Relatively High | 73rd | 3.9 of 5 | <1% | 4.4 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 60th | 3.4 of 5 | 6% | <0.01 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 57th | 3.3 of 5 | 2% | 9.5 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 19th | 1.7 of 5 | 1% | 26.4 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 13th | 1.5 of 5 | 4% | 0.09 |
| Hail | Very Low | 12th | 1.5 of 5 | 21% | 0.01 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 1st | 1.0 of 5 | <1% | 0.14 |
Perils not assessed in Nye 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 "Not Applicable" 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 1.5 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 1.5 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 125 MW solar array
At an assumed replacement value of $0.90 per watt, or $112.5M insured, the modeled expected annual loss for a fixed tilt ground mount array in Nye County is $12,420 a year, $99 per MW, 0.01% of insured value.
Heat is modeled as a production risk rather than a property loss: 2.2% of annual yield in this county.
Insurability signal: Standard. Riverine flooding carries 52% of modeled loss.
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Nye 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.