Solar Star
{{Short description|Photovoltaic power station in California}}
{{Infobox power station
| name = Solar Star
| name_official =
| image =
| image_caption =
| image_alt =
| coordinates = {{coord|34|49|50|N|118|23|53|W|type:landmark_region:US-CA_scale:50000|display=inline,title}}
| country = United States
| location = Rosamond, California
| status = Operational
| construction_began = 2013
| commissioned = June 19, 2015
| decommissioned =
| cost =
| owner = [http://www.bherenewables.com/aboutus_solar.aspx BHE Renewables]
| operator = [https://us.sunpower.com/utility-scale-solar-power-plants SunPower]
| solar_type = PV
| ps_site_area = {{convert|3200|acre|ha}}
| ps_electrical_capacity =
747.3 MWp,{{cite web | title=Solar Star I and II | url=http://www.mortenson.com/solar/projects/solar-star-i-and-ii | access-date=2015-06-03 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214181251/http://www.mortenson.com/solar/projects/solar-star-i-and-ii | archive-date=2014-12-14 | url-status=live }}
579 MWAC{{cite web|title=The Solar Star Projects |url=https://us.sunpower.com/sites/default/files/media-library/case-studies/cs-solar-star-projects-fact-sheet.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621222541/https://us.sunpower.com/sites/default/files/media-library/case-studies/cs-solar-star-projects-fact-sheet.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2019-06-21 }}
| ps_electrical_cap_fac = 32.8% {{small|(average 2017-2019)}}
| ps_annual_generation = 1,663 GW·h, 520 MW·h/acre {{small|(average 2017-2019)}}
| website = {{URL|http://us.sunpower.com/utility-scale-solar-power-plants/solar-energy-projects/solar-star-projects/|us.sunpower.com}}
| extra =
}}
Solar Star is a 579-megawatt (MWAC) photovoltaic power station near Rosamond, California, United States, that is operated and maintained by SunPower Services. When completed in June 2015, it was the world's largest solar farm in terms of installed capacity, using 1.7 million solar panels, made by SunPower and spread over {{convert|13|km2|acre|abbr=off|sp=us}}.{{cite web |url=http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Solar-Star-Largest-PV-Power-Plant-in-the-World-Now-Operational |publisher=GreenTechMedia.com |title=Solar Star, Largest PV Power Plant in the World, Now Operational |date=24 June 2015 |access-date=25 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150625174923/http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Solar-Star-Largest-PV-Power-Plant-in-the-World-Now-Operational |archive-date=25 June 2015 |url-status=live }}
Comparison to similar plants
Compared to other photovoltaic plants of similar size, Solar Star uses a smaller number (1.7 million) of large form-factor, high-wattage, high-efficiency, higher cost crystalline silicon modules, mounted on single axis trackers. In contrast, the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm and the Topaz Solar Farm (550 MW each) use a larger number (roughly 9 million) of smaller form-factor, lower wattage, lower efficiency, lower cost thin-film CdTe photovoltaic modules, mounted on fixed-tilt arrays and spread over a larger land area. Both approaches appear commercially viable.{{cite web|title=Desert Sunlight, Another 550MW Solar Farm From First Solar, Now Fully Operational|work=Greentech Media|first=Eric|last=Wesoff|date=January 14, 2015|access-date=5 January 2017|url=http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/desert-sunlight-yet-another-550-mw-solar-farm-from-first-solar-now-fully-op|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009201135/http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/desert-sunlight-yet-another-550-mw-solar-farm-from-first-solar-now-fully-op|archive-date=9 October 2016|url-status=live}}
There are a number of other solar photovoltaic plants nearby:
- Antelope Valley Solar Ranch (266 MW from 3.8 million thin film panels)
{{small|{{coord|34|46| |N|118|25| |W|name=Antelope Valley Solar Ranch}}}} - Alpine Solar (66 MW AC, thin film panels){{cite news|last=Kessler|first=Richard|title=NRG's Alpine Solar project begins operation|url=http://www.rechargenews.com/news/article1316186.ece|access-date=5 July 2013|newspaper=ReCharge News|date=5 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214235552/http://www.rechargenews.com/news/article1316186.ece|archive-date=14 December 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Gunther|first=Edgar A.|title=NRG Alpine Solar Project Nears Completion|url=http://guntherportfolio.com/2013/01/nrg-alpine-solar-project-nears-completion/|work=GUNTHER Portfolio|date=January 9, 2013|access-date=5 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306170241/http://guntherportfolio.com/2013/01/nrg-alpine-solar-project-nears-completion/|archive-date=6 March 2017|url-status=live}}
{{small|{{coord|34|47|37|N|118|30|44|W|name=Alpine Solar}}}} - Catalina Solar Project (60 MW, thin film panels)
{{small|{{coord|34|56|N|118|20|W|name=Catalina Solar Project}}}}
Electricity production
Solar Star 1's nameplate capacities are 398 MWdc and 314 MWac.
| class=wikitable style="text-align:right; font-size:0.9em; width:950px;"
|+Generation (MW·h) of Solar Star 1 {{cite web |url=http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/plant/58388/?pin=ELEC.PLANT.GEN.58388-SUN-ALL.M&linechart=ELEC.PLANT.GEN.58388-SUN-ALL.M |title=Solar Star 1, Monthly |work=Electricity Data Browser |publisher=Energy Information Administration |access-date=March 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323211424/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/plant/58388/?pin=ELEC.PLANT.GEN.58388-SUN-ALL.M&linechart=ELEC.PLANT.GEN.58388-SUN-ALL.M |archive-date=March 23, 2018 |url-status=live }} | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014
| || || 14,332 || 28,753 || 36,448 || 38,215 || 35,596 || 36,759 || 37,188 || 42,315 || 31,070 || 24,669 ! 325,345 | |||||||||||||
| 2015
| 34,125 || || 69,839 || 84,200 || 97,302 || 93,801 || 99,408 || 97,315 || 81,857 || 63,305 || 55,844 || 44,893 ! 821,889 | |||||||||||||
| 2016
| 39,867 || 39,296 || 32,636 || 84,802 || 91,786 || 51,523 || 52,262 || 99,009 || 85,110 || 67,456 || 50,141 || 36,270 ! 679,158 | |||||||||||||
| 2017
| 41,432 || 48,667 || 79,574 || 86,741 || 99,308 || 105,230 || 102,026 || 91,375 || 82,008 || 72,837 || 50,163 || 46,171 ! 905,532 | |||||||||||||
| 2018
| 44,314 || 60,323 || 67,871 || 88,462 || 102,351 || 105,674 || 97,203 || 96,445 || 84,320 || 66,841 || 49,275 || 43,626 ! 906,705 | |||||||||||||
| 2019
| 40,956 || 50,112 || 70,909 || 78,741 || 82,254 || 100,807 || 100,508 || 100,127 || 82,965 || 74,358 || 49,294 || 31,357 ! 862,388 | |||||||||||||
| 2020
| 50,547 || 61,602 || 56,733 || 60,814 || || || || || || || || ! 229,696 | |||||||||||||
| colspan=13|Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | 891,541 |
Solar Star 2's nameplate capacities are 350 MWdc and 266 MWac.
| class=wikitable style="text-align:right; font-size:0.9em; width:950px;"
|+Generation (MW·h) of Solar Star 2 {{cite web |url=http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/plant/58389/?pin=ELEC.PLANT.GEN.58389-SUN-ALL.M&linechart=ELEC.PLANT.GEN.58389-SUN-ALL.M |title=Solar Star 2, Monthly |work=Electricity Data Browser |publisher=Energy Information Administration |access-date=March 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323211424/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/plant/58389/?pin=ELEC.PLANT.GEN.58389-SUN-ALL.M&linechart=ELEC.PLANT.GEN.58389-SUN-ALL.M |archive-date=March 23, 2018 |url-status=live }} | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014
| || || 14,321 || 19,610 || 30,291 || 42,338 || 44,483 || 52,767 || 52,276 || 50,675 || 40,447 || 32,848 ! 380,056 | |||||||||||||
| 2015
| 40,769 || 50,582 || 68,531 || 77,036 || 87,210 || 83,183 || 87,909 || 85,625 || 72,530 || 55,497 || 49,895 || 39,635 ! 798,402 | |||||||||||||
| 2016
| 34,065 || 56,385 || 53,776 || 74,427 || 89,089 || 65,376 || 95,256 || 86,438 || 73,226 || 58,390 || 45,752 || 35,668 ! 767,848 | |||||||||||||
| 2017
| 36,824 || 42,569 || 69,736 || 76,824 || 71,491 || 90,485 || 84,702 || 78,023 || 71,119 || 62,199 || 43,428 || 40,789 ! 768,189 | |||||||||||||
| 2018
| 38,743 || 53,333 || 60,030 || 78,275 || 90,722 || 90,729 || 81,903 || 81,814 || 74,103 || 59,716 || 42,773 || 37,987 ! 790,128 | |||||||||||||
| 2019
| 35,800 || 43,867 || 62,156 || 69,316 || 72,178 || 88,927 || 90,397 || 87,610 || 72,794 || 65,450 || 43,786 || 24,485 ! 756,766 | |||||||||||||
| 2020
| 44,125 || 52,918 || 50,630 || 54,672 || || || || || || || || ! 202,345 | |||||||||||||
| colspan=13|Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | 771,694 |
See also
{{stack|{{Portal|California|Renewable energy}}}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- [https://us.sunpower.com/sites/default/files/media-library/case-studies/cs-solar-star-projects-fact-sheet.pdf Fact sheet from SunPower]
{{Generating stations in California|state=autocollapse}}
{{Photovoltaics}}
{{Solar power in the United States}}
Category:Solar power stations in California
Category:Photovoltaic power stations in the United States
Category:Buildings and structures in Kern County, California