Mesquite Solar project
{{Short description|Solar power plant in Maricopa County, Arizona}}
{{Infobox power station
| name = Mesquite Solar project
| name_official =
| image =
| image_caption =
| image_alt =
| coordinates = {{coord|33|20|N|112|55|W|region:US-AZ_type:landmark_dim:100km|display=inline,title}}
| country = United States
| location = Arlington, Arizona
| status = Operational
| construction_began =
| commissioned =
| decommissioned =
| cost =
| owner = Sempra Generation
| operator =
| solar_type = PV
| solar_concentration=
| solar_csp_technology =
| solar_csp_collectors =
| solar_cpvt =
| ps_site_area =
| thermal_capacity =
| ps_units_operational =
| ps_units_manu_model =
| ps_units_uc =
| ps_units_planned =
| ps_units_cancelled =
| ps_units_decommissioned=
| ps_electrical_capacity = 512.5 MWAC
| ps_electrical_cap_fac = 32.3% {{small|(average 2017–2019)}}
| ps_annual_generation = 1,133 GW·h, 493 MW·h/acre {{small|(pre–2023)}}
| website =
| extra =
}}
The Mesquite Solar project is a 512.5-megawatt (MWAC) photovoltaic power plant in Arlington, Maricopa County, Arizona, owned by Sempra Generation and Consolidated Edison Development Inc. The first three phases of the project were constructed using more than 2.1 million crystalline silicon solar panels made by Suntech Power.{{cite web
| url= http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Suntech-to-Supply-800000-PV-Panels-for-Sempras-Mesquite-1/
| title= Suntech to Supply 800,000 PV Panels for Sempra’s Mesquite 1
| first= Eric |last= Wesoff |date= February 3, 2011 |publisher= Greentech Media
| access-date= 2011-02-06 }}{{cite news
| url= http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/arizona-solar-plant-picks-chinese-supplier/
| title= Arizona Solar Plant Picks Chinese Supplier
| first= Todd | last= Woody | date= February 4, 2011 | work= The New York Times
| access-date= 2011-02-06 }} Mesquite 4 and 5 added another 112.5 MW and 70 MW of battery storage.
Project details
Construction of Phase 1 over a 3.6 km2 site adjacent the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station began in 2011 and was completed in January 2013.{{cite web
| url= http://www.semprarenewables.com/project/mesquite-solar-1/
| title= Sempra Generation Mesquite Solar Phase 1
| access-date= 2018-12-31 }}[http://www.renewindians.com/2013/01/sempra-completes-first-phase-of-.html Sempra Completes first phase of Mesquite Solar Project] It has a nameplate capacity of 150 megawatts (MW) that is contracted through a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).{{cite web
| url= https://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0672178.htm
| title= Sempra Generation Contracts With PG&E for 150 MW of Solar Power
|date= October 12, 2010 |publisher= CNNMoney.com
| access-date= 2013-04-25 }} The EPC contractor was Zachry Holdings.{{cite web
| url= http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sempra-generation-selects-suntech-and-zachry-for-landmark-arizona-solar-power-plant-115175994.html
| title= Sempra Generation Selects Suntech and Zachry for Landmark Arizona Solar Power Plant
|date= February 3, 2011 |publisher= Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd.
| access-date= 2011-02-06 }} Phase 1 cost about $600 million, is projected to generate more than 350 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually (an average of about 40 MW), and will offset roughly 200,000 tons of carbon emissions each year.{{cite web
| url= https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-03/sempra-buying-suntech-panels-for-150-megawatt-solar-project-in-arizona.html
| title= Sempra Buying Suntech Panels for 150-Megawatt Solar Project
| first= Ehren | last= Goossens
|date= February 3, 2011 |publisher= Bloomberg.com
| quote= Scott Crider, a Sempra Generation spokesman, would not give a price for the Mesquite project. Photovoltaic “projects can range from $3.5 to $5.5 million per megawatt, that’s the general industry standard,” he said in an interview.
| access-date= 2011-02-06 }}
File:MesquiteSolarOne Aug2012.jpg
Phase 2 (100MW) and Phase 3 (150MW) were both completed in December 2016.{{cite web
| url= http://www.semprarenewables.com/project/mesquite-solar-2/
| title= Sempra Generation Mesquite Solar Phase 2
| access-date= 2018-12-31 }}{{cite web
| url= http://www.semprarenewables.com/project/mesquite-solar-3/
| title= Sempra Generation Mesquite Solar Phase 3
| access-date= 2018-12-31 }}[http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_6_03 Table 6.3. New Utility Scale Generating Units by Operating Company, Plant, Month, and Year], Electric Power Monthly, U.S. Energy Information Administration, February 24, 2017 The panels are mounted on single-axis trackers to increase electricity production.
Mesquite 4 is a 52.5 MW solar farm with 10 MW of batteries. Mesquite 5 is a 60 MW solar farm with 60 MW of batteries. Mesquite 4 came online in January 2024 while Mesquite 5 came online in July 2023. {{Cite web |url=http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_6_03 |title=Table 6.3. New Utility Scale Generating Units by Operating Company, Plant, and Month, 2023, Electric Power Monthly, U.S. Energy Information Administration, February, 2024 |access-date=May 19, 2024}}
Electricity production
| class=wikitable style="text-align:center; font-size:0.9em; width:350px;"
|+Total Facility Generation | |
| Year | Total Annual MW·h |
|---|---|
| 2011
| 2,956 | |
| 2012
| 233,105 | |
| 2013
| 413,611 | |
| 2014
| 408,218 | |
| 2015
| 397,599 | |
| 2016
| 442,565 | |
| 2017
| 1,145,231 | |
| 2018
| 1,145,816 | |
| 2019
| 1,109,029 | |
| Average (2017–2019)
! 1,133,359 |
| class=wikitable style="text-align:right; font-size:0.9em;"
|+Generation (MW·h) of Mesquite Solar 1 (150MW){{cite web |url=https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/plant/57707/?pin=ELEC.PLANT.GEN.57707-SUN-ALL.M&linechart=ELEC.PLANT.GEN.57707-SUN-ALL.M |title=Mesquite Solar 1, Monthly |work=Electricity Data Browser |publisher=Energy Information Administration |access-date=March 5, 2020}} | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011
| || || || || || || || || || || 1,711 || 1,245 ! 2,956 | |||||||||||||
| 2012
| 6,830 || 8,261 || 10,848 || 14,729 || 20,300 || 20,717 || 22,784 || 26,070 || 25,060 || 27,809 || 25,008 || 24,689 ! 233,105 | |||||||||||||
| 2013
| 26,897 || 31,203 || 35,698 || 37,963 || 39,751 || 39,487 || 38,113 || 36,261 || 35,489 || 38,806 || 27,362 || 26,581 ! 413,611 | |||||||||||||
| 2014
| 29,466 || 28,570 || 39,157 || 40,084 || 42,765 || 40,304 || 37,138 || 35,717 || 34,451 || 32,627 || 27,236 || 20,703 ! 408,218 | |||||||||||||
| 2015
| 20,029 || 30,905 || 37,089 || 40,474 || 40,419 || 37,689 || 35,962 || 36,967 || 33,285 || 31,139 || 29,199 || 24,442 ! 397,599 | |||||||||||||
| 2016
| 23,919 || 32,350 || 36,412 || 37,321 || 42,442 || 39,309 || 38,869 || 38,069 || 33,660 || 34,753 || 28,321 || 22,825 ! 408,250 | |||||||||||||
| 2017
| 18,968 || 23,127 || 39,542 || 43,048 || 45,896 || 51,628 || 31,943 || 39,425 || 40,513 || 37,184 || 22,096 || 20,363 ! 413,734 | |||||||||||||
| 2018
| 23,598 || 25,234 || 32,580 || 38,786 || 48,925 || 47,774 || 42,202 || 42,713 || 41,106 || 29,406 || 25,482 || 17,198 ! 415,004 | |||||||||||||
| 2019
| 21,519 || 21,215 || 33,843 || 40,244 || 42,179 || 47,752 || 42,113 || 45,612 || 36,747 || 37,825 || 21,338 || 16,959 ! 407,345 |
| class=wikitable style="text-align:right; font-size:0.9em;"
|+Generation (MW·h) of Mesquite Solar 2 (100MW with tracking) {{cite web |url=https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/plant/60307/?freq=M&pin= |title=Mesquite Solar 2, Monthly |work=Electricity Data Browser |publisher=Energy Information Administration |access-date=March 5, 2020}} | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016
| || || || || || || || || || || || 13,255 ! 13,255 | |||||||||||||
| 2017
| 15,016 || 16,794 || 26,698 || 29,176 || 31,992 || 32,486 || 29,490 || 28,681 || 26,392 || 23,857 || 15,275 || 15,040 ! 290,897 | |||||||||||||
| 2018
| 17,201 || 18,569 || 24,484 || 28,562 || 32,739 || 31,729 || 29,461 || 29,075 || 26,015 || 16,891 || 15,900 || 14,396 ! 285,023 | |||||||||||||
| 2019
| 16,090 || 14,280 || 19,916 || 21,340 || 22,983 || 30,941 || 29,656 || 29,898 || 23,634 || 23,723 || 13,615 || 9,971 ! 256,047 |
| class=wikitable style="text-align:right; font-size:0.9em;"
|+Generation (MW·h) of Mesquite Solar 3 (150MW with tracking) {{cite web |url=https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/plant/60308/?freq=M&pin= |title=Mesquite Solar 3, Monthly |work=Electricity Data Browser |publisher=Energy Information Administration |access-date=March 5, 2020}} | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016
| || || || || || || || || || || || 21,060 ! 21,060 | |||||||||||||
| 2017
| 22,673 || 25,705 || 40,558 || 43,985 || 48,952 || 49,978 || 44,174 || 43,447 || 39,846 || 35,670 || 23,425 || 22,187 ! 440,600 | |||||||||||||
| 2018
| 25,678 || 28,450 || 38,984 || 43,517 || 50,609 || 48,203 || 44,817 || 44,342 || 39,830 || 31,777 || 27,684 || 21,898 ! 445,789 | |||||||||||||
| 2019
| 25,460 || 26,613 || 38,070 || 43,410 || 47,869 || 48,938 || 45,483 || 45,652 || 39,165 || 39,109 || 25,772 || 20,096 ! 445,637 |
See also
{{stack|{{Portal|Arizona|Renewable energy}}}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Power stations in Arizona}}
{{Solar power in the United States}}
Category:Solar power stations in Arizona
Category:Photovoltaic power stations in the United States
Category:Buildings and structures in Maricopa County, Arizona