Antelope Valley Solar Ranch Explained

Antelope Valley Solar Ranch
Coordinates:34.775°N -118.425°W
Country:United States
Location:Antelope Valley, California
Status:O
Construction Began:August 2011
Commissioned:April 2014 [1]
Cost:$1.36 billion[2]
($ in dollars)
Owner:Constellation Energy
Employees:20
Solar Type:PV
Ps Units Operational:3,800,000
Ps Site Area:2100acres
Ps Electrical Cap Fac:30.5% (average 2015-2017)
Ps Annual Generation: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.[3] [4] [5] The solar facility was fully commissioned in April 2014.

Overview

In September 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy issued a $646 million loan guarantee to support the project's construction. 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.

On February 20, 2013, the first 100 MWAC came online.[7] The plant will use approximately 3.8 million solar panels, about 20% of which will be mounted on single-axis tracking racks. When fully operational, the plant is expected to generate enough energy for 75,000 homes, displacing 140,000 tons of CO2. The power generated by AVSR1 is being purchased by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement.

Electricity Production

Generation (MW·h) of AV Solar Ranch One [8]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
201460,933 56,929 52,593 42,933 30,309243,697
201537,018 44,005 54,695 58,280 62,283 57,808 61,724 61,790 53,927 47,614 43,426 36,838619,408
201632,935 46,208 53,436 55,097 62,375 61,868 64,535 61,770 56,081 46,491 41,614 31,884614,294
201732,470 35,964 54,112 55,959 61,980 61,839 60,944 58,500 55,398 53,005 39,893 37,885607,949
201836,279 44,379 48,604 57,764 63,414 61,891 58,385 59,406 55,420 48,906 38,405 33,382606,235
201929,889 35,096 50,802 56,509 57,218 60,036 60,504 61,467 54,174 45,567 37,007 27,365575,634
202039,053 45,448 41,055 51,660 59,820 57,073 60,313 53,436 45,572 44,493 39,195 33,014570,132
202135,211 41,830 52,505 58,413 62,902 58,568 57,547 57,184 51,842 47,535 41,120 29,030 651,255
202241,120 43,984 53,269 58,266 62,542 59,217 60,502 57,296 50,528 49,547 40,547 29,569606,387
202330,340 36,653 45,638 58,446 58,241 -------229,318
Average Annual Production (2015-2022) 606,412

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Exelon (Antelope Valley Solar Ranch). US Department of Energy (DOE). 3 July 2014.
  2. News: First Solar shares jump after Antelope Valley construction OKd . . 3 July 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120625090048/http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/23/business/la-fi-first-solar-20120623 . 2012-06-25 . live . 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. 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. Web site: Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One. Exelon. 3 July 2014.
  6. Web site: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Loans - Award Summary: AV Solar Ranch 1, LLC . Recovery.gov . The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board . 3 July 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714121110/http://www.recovery.gov/arra/Transparency/RecoveryData/pages/recipientprojectsummary508.aspx?awardidsur=128509&awardtype=Loans . 14 July 2014 .
  7. Web site: AV Solar Ranch One Solar Power Plant Achieves 100 MW Milestone. First Solar. 3 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140712164358/http://investor.firstsolar.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=741974. 12 July 2014. dead.
  8. Web site: AV Solar Ranch One, Monthly . Electricity Data Browser . . May 23, 2019.

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