Agua Caliente Solar Project

Agua Caliente Solar Project
Country United States
Location Yuma County, Arizona
Coordinates 32°58′N 113°30′W / 32.967°N 113.500°W / 32.967; -113.500Coordinates: 32°58′N 113°30′W / 32.967°N 113.500°W / 32.967; -113.500
Status Operational
Commission date 2011
Construction cost $1.8 billion
Solar field
Type Flat-panel PV
Site area 2,400 acres (971 ha)
Power generation
Units operational 5,200,000
Nameplate capacity 290 MWp
Capacity factor 29%
Annual net output 740 GWh (average of 2014 and 2015 annual generation; 84 MW avg)

The Agua Caliente Solar Project is a 290 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic power station, built in Yuma County, Arizona using thin-film technology based CdTe PV panels manufactured by First Solar.[1] The project was completed in April 2014.[2][3]

History

39 MW was online as of December 2011 and 100 MW was completed as of April 2012.[4] 200 MW was completed as of July 2012,[5] and 247 MW in August 2012, when the 10th section was completed. The addition of more panels has halted until 2013, with crates of panels covered to protect them.[6]

Project overview

In August 2011, the Department of Energy finalized a $967 million loan guarantee for the project. The project sponsor, NRG Solar, estimated the photovoltaic generation facility would fund approximately 400 construction jobs and 16 full-time operating jobs, and would become one of the largest plants of its kind in the world when completed.[7] The power produced is being sold to PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) in California in a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement.[8][9]

The Series 3 thin film panels use CdS/CdTe,[10] and are rated from 77 watts to 82.5 watts each,[11] and are mounted at a fixed tilt angle. 20,940 are connected in each array, rated at 1.26 MWAC, and over 400 SMA 720CP inverters are used. Two inverters are connected to each array.[12]

Award

In February 2012, Agua Caliente competed in the Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards and won Project of the Year Award.[9]

Electricity production

Generation (MW·h) of Agua Caliente Solar Project [13]
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2012 2,83041,75049,64050,44052,65054,14052,83041,78033,535 379,595
2013 34,13845,55553,72061,05064,99865,45263,63161,47064,87064,60548,29447,742 675,525
2014 50,79050,56066,49069,91274,99073,53371,02267,40163,91260,67655,18936,706 741,181
2015 46,00754,67065,49570,82972,74269,88069,30770,31960,02356,97454,11049,378 739,734
2016 49,41258,32767,22766,99775,38569,15973,13669,13560,66260,66250,34843,083 743,533
Total3,279,568
2017 production

See also

References

  1. ↑ "World's Largest Operational Solar PV Project, Agua Caliente, Achieves 250 Megawatts of Grid-Connected Power" (Press release). Tempe, Arizona: First Solar. September 10, 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-05-01. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  2. ↑ http://breakingenergy.com/2014/04/30/worlds-biggest-solar-pv-plant-a-feather-in-does-cap/
  3. ↑ Cheyney, Tom (October 14, 2011). "Utility-scale with a capital 'U': First Solar's Agua Caliente PV project pushes toward initial power". PVTech. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
  4. ↑ "Arizona project reaches 100MW mark". UPI. 26 April 2012.
  5. ↑ Katie Fehrenbacher (16 July 2012). "Huge Arizona solar panel farm now 2/3 completed". Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
  6. ↑ Martin, Christopher; Doom, Justin (August 30, 2012). "First Solar Stops Installation at Agua Caliente Project". Bloomberg. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Department of Energy Finalizes a $967 Million Loan Guarantee to Support the Agua Caliente Solar Project". Energy.gov. August 5, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Agua Caliente Solar Project". CleanEnergy Action Project. Archived from the original on 2013-08-13. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards Winners: Project of the Year and Readers' Choice". Renewable Energy World. 17 February 2012.
  10. ↑ http://www.power-technology.com The world's biggest solar power plants, 29 August 2013
  11. ↑ http://www.powermag.com/agua-caliente-solar-project-yuma-county-arizona/?pagenum=1
  12. ↑ Olson, Syanne (March 7, 2012). "SMA tapped to deliver more than 400 inverters for Agua Caliente solar project". PVTech. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Agua Caliente Solar Project, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
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