Solar Star
Solar Star | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Country | United States |
Location | Rosamond, California |
Coordinates | 34°49′50″N118°23′53″W/ 34.83056°N 118.39806°W |
Status | Operational |
Construction began | 2013 |
Commission date | June 19, 2015 |
Owner(s) | BHE Renewables |
Operator(s) | SunPower |
Solar farm | |
Type | Flat-panel PV |
Site area | 3,200 acres (1,300 ha) |
Power generation | |
Nameplate capacity | 747.3MWp,[1] 579MWAC[2] |
Capacity factor | 32.8%(average 2017-2019) |
Annual net output | 1,663GW·h,520 MW·h/acre(average 2017-2019) |
External links | |
Website | us.sunpower.com |
Solar Staris a 579-megawatt(MWAC)photovoltaic power stationnearRosamond,California, United States, that is operated and maintained by SunPower Services. When completed in June 2015, it was theworld's largest solar farmin terms of installed capacity, using 1.7 million solar panels, made bySunPowerand spread over 13 square kilometers (3,200 acres).[1][2][3]
Comparison to similar plants[edit]
Compared to other photovoltaic plants of similar size, Solar Star uses a smaller number (1.7 million) of large form-factor, high-wattage, high-efficiency, higher costcrystalline siliconmodules, mounted on single axis trackers. In contrast, theDesert Sunlight Solar Farmand theTopaz Solar Farm(550 MW each) use a larger number (roughly 9 million) of smaller form-factor, lower wattage, lower efficiency, lower cost thin-filmCdTe photovoltaic modules,mounted on fixed-tilt arrays and spread over a larger land area. Both approaches appear commercially viable.[4]
There are a number of other solar photovoltaic plants nearby:
- Antelope Valley Solar Ranch(266 MW from 3.8 million thin film panels)
34°46′N118°25′W/ 34.767°N 118.417°W - Alpine Solar (66 MW AC, thin film panels)[5][6]
34°47′37″N118°30′44″W/ 34.79361°N 118.51222°W - Catalina Solar Project(60 MW, thin film panels)
34°56′N118°20′W/ 34.933°N 118.333°W
Electricity production[edit]
Solar Star 1's nameplate capacities are 398 MWdcand 314 MWac.
Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | 14,332 | 28,753 | 36,448 | 38,215 | 35,596 | 36,759 | 37,188 | 42,315 | 31,070 | 24,669 | 325,345 | ||
2015 | 34,125 | 69,839 | 84,200 | 97,302 | 93,801 | 99,408 | 97,315 | 81,857 | 63,305 | 55,844 | 44,893 | 821,889 | |
2016 | 39,867 | 39,296 | 32,636 | 84,802 | 91,786 | 51,523 | 52,262 | 99,009 | 85,110 | 67,456 | 50,141 | 36,270 | 679,158 |
2017 | 41,432 | 48,667 | 79,574 | 86,741 | 99,308 | 105,230 | 102,026 | 91,375 | 82,008 | 72,837 | 50,163 | 46,171 | 905,532 |
2018 | 44,314 | 60,323 | 67,871 | 88,462 | 102,351 | 105,674 | 97,203 | 96,445 | 84,320 | 66,841 | 49,275 | 43,626 | 906,705 |
2019 | 40,956 | 50,112 | 70,909 | 78,741 | 82,254 | 100,807 | 100,508 | 100,127 | 82,965 | 74,358 | 49,294 | 31,357 | 862,388 |
2020 | 50,547 | 61,602 | 56,733 | 60,814 | 229,696 | ||||||||
Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | 891,541 |
Solar Star 2's nameplate capacities are 350 MWdcand 266 MWac.
Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | 14,321 | 19,610 | 30,291 | 42,338 | 44,483 | 52,767 | 52,276 | 50,675 | 40,447 | 32,848 | 380,056 | ||
2015 | 40,769 | 50,582 | 68,531 | 77,036 | 87,210 | 83,183 | 87,909 | 85,625 | 72,530 | 55,497 | 49,895 | 39,635 | 798,402 |
2016 | 34,065 | 56,385 | 53,776 | 74,427 | 89,089 | 65,376 | 95,256 | 86,438 | 73,226 | 58,390 | 45,752 | 35,668 | 767,848 |
2017 | 36,824 | 42,569 | 69,736 | 76,824 | 71,491 | 90,485 | 84,702 | 78,023 | 71,119 | 62,199 | 43,428 | 40,789 | 768,189 |
2018 | 38,743 | 53,333 | 60,030 | 78,275 | 90,722 | 90,729 | 81,903 | 81,814 | 74,103 | 59,716 | 42,773 | 37,987 | 790,128 |
2019 | 35,800 | 43,867 | 62,156 | 69,316 | 72,178 | 88,927 | 90,397 | 87,610 | 72,794 | 65,450 | 43,786 | 24,485 | 756,766 |
2020 | 44,125 | 52,918 | 50,630 | 54,672 | 202,345 | ||||||||
Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | 771,694 |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ab"Solar Star I and II".Archivedfrom the original on 2014-12-14.Retrieved2015-06-03.
- ^ab"The Solar Star Projects"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2019-06-21.
- ^"Solar Star, Largest PV Power Plant in the World, Now Operational".GreenTechMedia.com. 24 June 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 25 June 2015.Retrieved25 June2015.
- ^Wesoff, Eric (January 14, 2015)."Desert Sunlight, Another 550MW Solar Farm From First Solar, Now Fully Operational".Greentech Media.Archivedfrom the original on 9 October 2016.Retrieved5 January2017.
- ^Kessler, Richard (5 February 2013)."NRG's Alpine Solar project begins operation".ReCharge News.Archivedfrom the original on 14 December 2013.Retrieved5 July2013.
- ^Gunther, Edgar A. (January 9, 2013)."NRG Alpine Solar Project Nears Completion".GUNTHER Portfolio.Archivedfrom the original on 6 March 2017.Retrieved5 January2017.
- ^"Solar Star 1, Monthly".Electricity Data Browser.Energy Information Administration.Archivedfrom the original on March 23, 2018.RetrievedMarch 5,2019.
- ^"Solar Star 2, Monthly".Electricity Data Browser.Energy Information Administration.Archivedfrom the original on March 23, 2018.RetrievedMarch 5,2019.