California Valley Solar Ranch
| California Valley Solar Ranch | |
|---|---|
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| Country | United States |
| Location | Carrizo Plain, northeast of California Valley, CA |
| Coordinates | 35°20′N 119°55′W / 35.33°N 119.91°WCoordinates: 35°20′N 119°55′W / 35.33°N 119.91°W |
| Status | Under construction |
| Construction began | 2011 |
| Owner(s) | NRG Solar |
| Operator(s) | SunPower |
| Solar farm information | |
| Type | Flat-panel PV |
| Power generation information | |
| Maximum capacity | 250 MW |
| As of September 2011 | |
The California Valley Solar Ranch (CVSR) is a 250 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic power plant, which is being built by SunPower in the Carrizo Plain, northeast of California Valley. Construction on the project began in September 2011, with approximately 350 jobs expected to be created in San Luis Obispo County over the two-year construction period. Once completed, "the California Valley Solar Ranch will power about 100,000 homes and will be one of the largest photovoltaic (PV) solar power plants in the world".[1]
The project will utilize 1,966 acres (796 ha) of a 4,365-acre (1,766 ha) site of former grazing land for solar power generation,[2] the project will utilize high-efficiency, crystalline PV panels designed and manufactured by SunPower, formerly a subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor. The project will include up to 88,000 solar tracking devices to hold PV panels that will track the sun across the sky. The project will deliver approximately 550 gigawatt-hours (GW·h) annually of renewable energy and will have a capacity of 250 MW.[3] While the plant would only have a capacity factor of 25%, its power will be generated during the middle of the day, when demand for electricity — and price — is much higher than at night.
On August 14, 2008, Pacific Gas and Electric announced an agreement to buy all the power from the power plant.[4] A Conditional Use Permit application for the project was filed with the County of San Luis Obispo Planning and Building Department on January 14, 2009. On November 30, 2010, NRG Energy announced that it would buy CVSR from SunPower for "up to $450 million".[5] In September 2011, the Department of Energy (DOE) offered NRG Solar a $1.237 billion loan from the federal government to cover most of the construction cost.[6] The total cost of the project is estimated to be $1.6 billion.[7]
The Carrizo Plain is home to 13 species listed as endangered either by the state or federal government, including the San Joaquin Kit Fox, Giant Kangaroo Rat, and the California Condor.[8] SunPower has been working with the community to protect local wildlife habitat and migration patterns, and reduce the amount of traffic in the area during construction.[9] The company recently announced a plan to create a reserve for Giant Kangaroo Rat in order to address concerns about habitat destruction.
The project began construction in 2011, and will be fully operational by 2013.[5] California utilities are mandated to get 33% of their energy from renewable sources by 2020.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "NRG Energy Completes Acquisition of 250-Megawatt California Valley Solar Ranch from SunPower". MarketWatch. 30 September 2011. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nrg-energy-completes-acquisition-of-250-megawatt-california-valley-solar-ranch-from-sunpower-2011-09-30.
- ^ Sneed, David (2008-08-15). "Calif. utility agrees to buy solar power from two proposed plants". The San Luis Obispo Tribune. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/economics/story/48267.html. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ "California Utility Mainstreams Solar Photovoltaic Power". Environment News Service (ENS). August 15, 2008. http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2008/2008-08-15-094.html. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
- ^ "PG&E Signs Historic 800 MW Photovoltaic Solar Power Agreements With Optisolar and Sunpower". Pacific Gas and Electric. 2008-08-14. http://www.pge.com/about/news/mediarelations/newsreleases/q3_2008/080814.shtml. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ a b Baker, David R. (2010-12-01). "NRG Energy to invest $450 million in SunPower". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/01/BUTD1GJGAI.DTL. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
- ^ "Energy Department Finalizes $1.2 Billion Loan Guarantee to Support California Solar Generation" (Press release). Department of Energy (DOE). September 30, 2011. http://energy.gov/articles/energy-department-finalizes-12-billion-loan-guarantee-support-california-solar-generation. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ^ Lipton, Eric; Clifford Krauss (November 11, 2011). "A Gold Rush of Subsidies in Clean Energy Search". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/12/business/energy-environment/a-cornucopia-of-help-for-renewable-energy.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ^ Wesoff, Eric (August 25, 2010). "Huge Milestone for SunPower and Solar in 250MW California Valley Project". Greentech Media. http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/sunpower-california-valley/. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ SunPower Adds 40-MW to California Valley Solar Ranch Renewable Energy World, 3 May 2010.
[edit] External links
- California Valley Solar Ranch (official website) Retrieved 2010-08-26.
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