Antelope Valley Solar Ranch

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. The solar facility was fully commissioned in April 2014. [3] [4] [5]

Antelope Valley Solar Ranch
CountryUnited States
LocationAntelope Valley, California
Coordinates34°46′30″N 118°25′30″W
StatusOperational
Construction beganAugust 2011
Commission dateApril 2014 [1]
Construction cost$1.36 billion[2]
Owner(s)Exelon
Solar farm
TypeFlat-panel PV
Site area2,100 acres (8.50 km2)
Power generation
Units operational3,800,000
Nameplate capacity230 MWAC
Capacity factor30.5% (average 2015-2017)
Annual net output614 GW·h, 290 MW·h/acre

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.[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
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
2017 32,47035,96454,11255,95961,98061,83960,94458,50055,39853,00539,89337,885 607,949
2018 36,27944,37948,60457,76463,41461,89158,38559,40655,42048,90638,40533,382 606,235
2019 29,88935,096---------- -
Average Annual Production (2015-2018)612,000

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. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  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.
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