The US Department of the Interior has announced a record return on bids from a solar energy auction conducted on land in the Amargosa desert of Nevada.

Four land parcels totalling 23,675 acres were auctioned off for a combined $105m. Together, the land could produce up to 3GW of clean solar energy.

NV Energy was the provisional winner of the two parcels located within the Amargosa Valley solar development zone. The company, which already operates a 25,000kW energy storage project in the state, secured 7,226 acres of land across the two parcels for a combined $81.85m.

For the other two parcels that lie outside of the Amargosa Valley solar energy zone, preferred bidders were named. Boulevard Associates, a subsidiary of Floridian energy supplier NextEra Energy, was named as the preferred bidder for one 10,129- acre parcel with the high bid of $21m. For the other, Leeward Renewable Energy subsidiary Silver Star Solar was preferred following a $2.3m bid on a 6,320-acre package. 

These bidders must submit right-of-way applications within 30 days, as well as development plans within 60 days, as both packages lie outside designated solar energy zones.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said that the record-breaking auction is “further evidence that the demand for clean energy has never been greater”.

“The technological advances, increased interest, cost-effectiveness and tremendous economic potential make these projects a reliable path for diversifying our nation’s energy portfolio,” Haaland continued.

The projects will be overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, which is also currently reviewing 150 solar and wind development applications. The bureau identified the Amargosa valley as one of 17 nationwide solar energy zones wherein solar energy projects are encouraged. 

Solar capacity has proliferated in these areas with both financial incentives such as extended rental periods and restructured bonding requirements, as well as bureaucratic measures such as faster and easier permitting.