A small California town is dead-set on getting the bulk of its electricity from solar energy.

Located on the northern edge of the Mojave National Preserve, the town of Nipton (population: 38) will tomorrow dedicate a brand-new, 80-kilowatt solar power installation that’s expected to meet 85 percent of the town’s electricity demand.

The installation is comprised of high gain solar (HGS) arrays from Skyline Solar, a Mountain View, California-based manufacturer and solar power installation firm. According to the press release, the company’s HGS arrays generate up to ten times as much energy per unit of silicon compared to conventional, silicon-based solar panels. Skyline makes use of troughs and reflectors to increase the amount of sunlight hitting the solar panels.

Wonky details aside, it’s great to see a town taking this kind of initiative. Nipton is a great candidate for solar power: it gets tons of sunshine and has relatively modest electricity demand. And, given the town’s proximity to protected lands, there’s of course that whole sustainability thing…

“As the gateway community to the Mojave Desert, Nipton seeks to be a good steward of the environment. Sustainability is paramount to this endeavor,” said Gerald Freeman, Principal Administrator for Nipton. “It is with this in mind that we are extremely pleased to be utilizing the HGS 1000 as our primary source of energy. And the HGS upgradability is a very attractive option.”

Provided Nipton can keep a lid on energy demand — and its population — it’s likely the town will retain its claim to being the “most solar town in America” for quite some time. (As for being the most solar town in the world, however, Nipton may have some competition.)