When Sempra Generation, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), announced the company had finished installation of the nation’s largest PV plant in a record eleven months, it put the solar spotlight on the state of Nevada. Located in Boulder City, Copper Mountain Solar PV Plant benefits from an ideal address in one of the most solar prime areas in the country.

The Copper Mountain Solar plant is Sempra Energy’s second in the area, adjacent to Eldorado Solar, an earlier 10-megawatt installation. And it probably won’t be its last. Nevada, and the southern Nevada region in particular, is ideal for the development of solar energy. According to Sempra Energy PR representative Scott Crider, there aren’t many places in the country better suited to solar development than Nevada.

Everyone knows solar power requires sunshine and that Nevada gets a lot of sunshine—more than 330 days per year to be exact. But Nevada’s potential for solar development goes a lot deeper than just an abundance of sunlight. The availability of large amounts of land is also a huge factor. And in southern Nevada, major transmission lines are already in place to not only carry solar energy to Nevada, but to California as well. The existence of transmission lines equals enormous savings for both developers and utility companies.

The energy from the Copper Mountain Solar plant has been purchased by utility company Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) in California under a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement.

“It doesn’t get any better for solar than southern Nevada,” said Crider. “Abundant sunshine, availability of land, and the availability of transmission lines makes the area prime for solar development.”

Located on nearly 400 acres in Eldorado Valley, the 48-megawatt PV plant will generate enough solar energy to power 14,000 homes a day. The plant is the largest PV plant in the country and was built in record time. Construction started at the site in January of this year, with 350 workers installing an estimated 775, thin-film PV panels which convert sunlight directly to electricity. The PV panels were provided by First Solar of Tempe, Ariz., who also served as the engineering, procurement and construction contract.

“To have a facility of this size and magnitude built in less than a year is a huge achievement and is representative of Sempra’s commitment to renewable energy,” Crider.