Antelope Valley Solar Ranch
CountryUnited States
LocationAntelope Valley, California
Coordinates34°46′30″N 118°25′30″W / 34.77500°N 118.42500°W / 34.77500; -118.42500
StatusOperational
Construction beganAugust 2011
Commission dateApril 2014 [1]
Construction cost$1.36 billion[2]
($1.72 billion in 2022 dollars[3])
Owner(s)Constellation Energy
Employees20[1]
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

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

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

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
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 29,88935,09650,80256,50957,21860,03660,50461,46754,17445,56737,00727,365 575,634
2020 39,05345,44841,05551,66059,82057,07360,31353,43645,57244,49339,19533,014 570,132
2021 35,21141,83052,50558,41362,90258,56857,54757,18451,84247,53541,12029,030 651,255
2022 41,12043,98453,26958,26662,54259,21760,50257,29650,52849,54740,54729,569 606,387
2023 30,34036,65345,63858,44658,241------- 229,318
Average Annual Production (2015-2022)606,412

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "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 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.
  3. 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 Measuring Worth series.
  4. GreenTechMedia.com, Herman K. Trabish, First Solar Cleared to Resume Construction in Antelope Valley, 19 May 2013
  5. GreenTechMedia.com, Herman K. Trabish, Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One: The Solar Power Plant That Could, 5 March 2012
  6. 1 2 "Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One". Exelon. 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. Archived from the original on 12 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  9. "AV Solar Ranch One, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
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