Antelope Valley Solar Ranch

Antelope Valley Solar Ranch
Country United States
Location Antelope Valley, California
Coordinates 34°46′30″N 118°25′30″W / 34.77500°N 118.42500°W / 34.77500; -118.42500Coordinates: 34°46′30″N 118°25′30″W / 34.77500°N 118.42500°W / 34.77500; -118.42500
Status Operational
Construction began August 2011
Commission date April 2014 [1]
Construction cost $1.36 billion[2]
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[3]
Max: 266 MW, 230 MWAC[4]
Annual net output 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. It uses cadmium telluride modules made by the US thin-film manufacturer First Solar. The project was developed by First Solar and later bought by Exelon Corporation in 2011. The solar facility was fully commissioned in April 2014.[3][5]

Overview

In September 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy issued a $646 million loan guarantee to support the project's construction.[6] This loan guarantee was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[7] The project is expected to create 350 construction jobs and 20 permanent jobs.[6]

On February 20, 2013, the first 100 MWAC came online.[8] The plant will use approximately 3.8 million solar panels,[5] about 20% of which will be mounted on single-axis tracking racks.[6] When fully operational, the plant is expected to generate enough energy for 75,000 homes, displacing 140,000 tons of CO2.[8] The power generated by AVSR1 is being purchased by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement.[6][8]

Production

Generation (MW·h) of AV Solar Ranch One [9]
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2014 60,93356,92952,59342,93330,309 243,697
2015 37,01844,00554,69558,28062,28357,80861,72461,79053,92747,61443,42636,838 619,408
2016 32,93546,20853,43655,09762,37561,86864,53561,77056,08146,49141,61431,884 614,294
Total1,477,399

See also

References

  1. commissioning date, , Energy.gov
  2. "First Solar shares jump after Antelope Valley construction OKd". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  3. 1 2 GreenTechMedia.com, Herman K. Trabish, First Solar Cleared to Resume Construction in Antelope Valley, 19 May 2013
  4. GreenTechMedia.com, Herman K. Trabish, Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One: The Solar Power Plant That Could, 5 March 2012
  5. 1 2 "Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One". Exelon. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Exelon (Antelope Valley Solar Ranch)". US Department of Energy (DOE). Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  7. "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Loans - Award Summary: AV Solar Ranch 1, LLC". Recovery.gov. The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 "AV Solar Ranch One Solar Power Plant Achieves 100 MW Milestone". First Solar. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  9. "AV Solar Ranch One, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
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