According to the Department of Energy, the Solar Demonstration Zone will occupy an area in the southwestern portion of the Nevada Test Site on lands owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the National Nuclear Security Administration.
"The Nevada Test Site is about to play a new role in securing America's future - but instead of testing nuclear weapons, we will test new solar technologies that will help put America on a sustainable energy path," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu.
The goal of the new testing area will be to create a better link between advanced technology development and the introduction of these new solar energy products to the mass consumer market. One technology that will get a closer look on the site is concentrating solar technology, which uses mirrors to reflect sunlight onto high-efficiency photovoltaic panels.
The solar energy research area will comprise more than 25 square miles, which the DOE noted is larger than Manhattan.
