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 |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | August 2011 |
| Commission date | April 2014 [1] |
| Construction cost | $1.36 billion[2] ($1.78 billion in 2023 dollars[3]) |
| Owner(s) | Constellation Energy |
| Employees | 20[1] |
| Solar farm | |
| Type | Flat-panel PV |
| Site area | 2,100 acres (8.50 km2) |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 3,800,000 |
| Nameplate capacity | 230 MWAC |
| Capacity factor | 30.5% (average 2015-2017) |
| Annual net output | 614 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.[4][5][6] The solar facility was fully commissioned in April 2014.[1]
Overview
[edit]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.[7] The project is expected to create 350 construction jobs and 20 permanent jobs.[1]
On February 20, 2013, the first 100 MWAC came online.[8] The plant will use approximately 3.8 million solar panels,[6] 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.[8] The power generated by AVSR1 is being purchased by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement.[1][8]
Electricity Production
[edit]| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 60,933 | 56,929 | 52,593 | 42,933 | 30,309 | 243,697 | |||||||
| 2015 | 37,018 | 44,005 | 54,695 | 58,280 | 62,283 | 57,808 | 61,724 | 61,790 | 53,927 | 47,614 | 43,426 | 36,838 | 619,408 |
| 2016 | 32,935 | 46,208 | 53,436 | 55,097 | 62,375 | 61,868 | 64,535 | 61,770 | 56,081 | 46,491 | 41,614 | 31,884 | 614,294 |
| 2017 | 32,470 | 35,964 | 54,112 | 55,959 | 61,980 | 61,839 | 60,944 | 58,500 | 55,398 | 53,005 | 39,893 | 37,885 | 607,949 |
| 2018 | 36,279 | 44,379 | 48,604 | 57,764 | 63,414 | 61,891 | 58,385 | 59,406 | 55,420 | 48,906 | 38,405 | 33,382 | 606,235 |
| 2019 | 29,889 | 35,096 | 50,802 | 56,509 | 57,218 | 60,036 | 60,504 | 61,467 | 54,174 | 45,567 | 37,007 | 27,365 | 575,634 |
| 2020 | 39,053 | 45,448 | 41,055 | 51,660 | 59,820 | 57,073 | 60,313 | 53,436 | 45,572 | 44,493 | 39,195 | 33,014 | 570,132 |
| 2021 | 35,211 | 41,830 | 52,505 | 58,413 | 62,902 | 58,568 | 57,547 | 57,184 | 51,842 | 47,535 | 41,120 | 29,030 | 651,255 |
| 2022 | 41,120 | 43,984 | 53,269 | 58,266 | 62,542 | 59,217 | 60,502 | 57,296 | 50,528 | 49,547 | 40,547 | 29,569 | 606,387 |
| 2023 | 30,340 | 36,653 | 45,638 | 58,446 | 58,241 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 229,318 |
| Average Annual Production (2015-2022) | 606,412 | ||||||||||||
See also
[edit]
- Solar power plants in the Mojave Desert
- Solar power in California
- List of photovoltaic power stations
- Renewable energy in the United States
- Renewable portfolio standard
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Exelon (Antelope Valley Solar Ranch)". US Department of Energy (DOE). Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ^ "First Solar shares jump after Antelope Valley construction OKd". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2012-06-25. 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.
- ^ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ^ GreenTechMedia.com, Herman K. Trabish, First Solar Cleared to Resume Construction in Antelope Valley, 19 May 2013
- ^ GreenTechMedia.com, Herman K. Trabish, Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One: The Solar Power Plant That Could, 5 March 2012
- ^ a b "Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One". Exelon. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b c "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.
- ^ "AV Solar Ranch One, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
