Antelope Valley Solar Ranch
Antelope Valley Solar Ranch | |
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![]() ![]() Location of the Antelope Valley Solar Ranch in California | |
Country | United States |
Location | Antelope Valley, California |
Coordinates | 34°46′30″N 118°25′30″W / 34.77500°N 118.42500°WCoordinates: 34°46′30″N 118°25′30″W / 34.77500°N 118.42500°W |
Status | Operational |
Construction began | August 2011 |
Construction cost | $1.36 billion[1] |
Owner(s) | Exelon |
Solar field | |
Type | Flat-panel PV |
Site area | 2,100 acres (8.50 km2) |
Power generation | |
Units operational | 3,800,000 |
Nameplate capacity |
150 MWAC[2] Max: 266 MW, 230 MWAC[3] |
Annual generation | 623 GWh |
The Antelope Valley Solar Ranch 1 (AVSR1) is a 266-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic power plant near Lancaster within Antelope Valley, in the western Mojave Desert, Southern California. The project was developed by First Solar and later bought by Exelon Corporation in 2011. Full operation was planned for late 2014.[2][4]
In September 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy issued a $646 million loan guarantee to support the project's construction.[5] This loan guarantee was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[6] The project is expected to create 350 construction jobs and 20 permanent jobs.[5]
On February 20, 2013, the first 100 MWAC came online.[7] The plant will use approximately 3.8 million solar panels,[4] about 20% of which will be mounted on single-axis tracking racks.[5] When fully operational, the plant is expected to generate enough energy for 75,000 homes, displacing 140,000 tons of CO2.[7] The power generated by AVSR1 is being purchased by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement.[5][7]
Production
Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | 60,933 | 56,929 | 52,593 | 42,933 | 30,309 | 243,697 | |||||||
2015 | 37,018 | 44,005 | 64,695 | 58,280 | 62,283 | 57,808 | 61,724 | 61,790 | 53,927 | 47,614 | 43,426 | 36,838 | 629,408 |
2016 | 32,935 | 32,935 | |||||||||||
Total | 906,040 |
See also
- Solar power plants in the Mojave Desert
- Solar power in California
- List of photovoltaic power stations
- Renewable energy in the United States
- Renewable portfolio standard
References
- ↑ "First Solar shares jump after Antelope Valley construction OKd". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- 1 2 GreenTechMedia.com, Herman K. Trabish, First Solar Cleared to Resume Construction in Antelope Valley, 19 May 2013
- ↑ GreenTechMedia.com, Herman K. Trabish, Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One: The Solar Power Plant That Could, 5 March 2012
- 1 2 "Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One". Exelon. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 "Exelon (Antelope Valley Solar Ranch)". US Department of Energy (DOE). Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ↑ "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Loans - Award Summary: AV Solar Ranch 1, LLC". Recovery.gov. The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- 1 2 3 "AV Solar Ranch One Solar Power Plant Achieves 100 MW Milestone". First Solar. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ↑ "AV Solar Ranch One, monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved January 17, 2016.