The Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone on public land outside of Las Vegas demonstrates the value of a smart approach to renewable energy siting and development. Solar projects in the low-conflict zone will have fewer impacts because the land has already been disturbed by other uses. The smart approach allowed the federal Bureau of Land Management to permit the projects in under 10 months, which is less than half the average time. First Solar’s Switch Station 1 and 2 projects in the zone will go online in 2017, providing enough power to serve about 46,000 homes per year.