Antelope Valley Solar Ranch
Coordinates34°46′30″N 118°25′30″W
CountryUnited States
LocationAntelope Valley, California
StatusO
Construction beganAugust 2011
CommissionedApril 2014 [1]
Cost$1.36 billion[2]
($ in dollars)
OwnerConstellation Energy
Employees20[1]
Ps units operational3,800,000
Ps site area2,100 acres (8.50 km2)
Ps electrical capacity230 MWAC
Ps electrical cap fac30.5% (average 2015-2017)
Ps annual generation614 GW·h, 290 MW·h/acre

The Antelope Valley Solar Ranch 1 (AVSR1) is a 230 megawatt (MWAC) 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.[3][4][5] The solar facility was fully commissioned in April 2014.[1]

Overview

In September 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy issued a $646 million loan guarantee to support the project's construction.[1] 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.[1]

On February 20, 2013, the first 100 MWAC came online.[7] The plant will use approximately 3.8 million solar panels,[5] about 20% of which will be mounted on single-axis tracking racks.[1] When fully operational, the plant is expected to generate enough energy for 75,000 homes, displacing 140,000 tons of CO2 per year.[7] The power generated by AVSR1 is being purchased by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement.[1][7]

Electricity Production

Generation (MW·h) of AV Solar Ranch One [8]
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
201460,93356,92952,59342,93330,309243,697
201537,01844,00554,69558,28062,28357,80861,72461,79053,92747,61443,42636,838619,408
201632,93546,20853,43655,09762,37561,86864,53561,77056,08146,49141,61431,884614,294
201732,47035,96454,11255,95961,98061,83960,94458,50055,39853,00539,89337,885607,949
201836,27944,37948,60457,76463,41461,89158,38559,40655,42048,90638,40533,382606,235
201929,88935,09650,80256,50957,21860,03660,50461,46754,17445,56737,00727,365575,634
202039,05345,44841,05551,66059,82057,07360,31353,43645,57244,49339,19533,014570,132
202135,21141,83052,50558,41362,90258,56857,54757,18451,84247,53541,12029,030651,255
202241,12043,98453,26958,26662,54259,21760,50257,29650,52849,54740,54729,569606,387
202330,34036,65345,63858,44658,24156,27456,43753,03550,98247,96336,83836,879567,726
Average Annual Production (2015-2022)606,412

See also

References

  1. ^ "Exelon (Antelope Valley Solar Ranch)". US Department of Energy (DOE). Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  2. ^ "First Solar shares jump after Antelope Valley construction OKd". Los Angeles Times. Archived 2012-06-25 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 July 2014. Shares of First Solar Inc. soared after the biggest maker of thin-film solar panels received permission to continue construction on a $1.36-billion power project in Los Angeles County.
  3. ^ 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. ^ "Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One". Exelon. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ "AV Solar Ranch One Solar Power Plant Achieves 100 MW Milestone". First Solar. Archived from the original on 12 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  8. ^ "AV Solar Ranch One, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved May 23, 2019.