Agua Caliente Solar Project
| Company type | Power station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Solar power |
| Founded | April 2014 |
| Headquarters | Yuma County , United States |
| Products | Photovoltaic electricity |
| Owner | NRG Solar |
The Agua Caliente Solar Project is a photovoltaic power installation with a capacity of 290 megawatt (MWAC) located in Yuma County, Arizona. It employs 5.2 million cadmium telluride modules manufactured by the American thin-film producer First Solar. When it became operational in April 2014, it held the distinction of being the largest solar plant worldwide.
History
By December 2011, the project had reached an operational capacity of 39 MW, which increased to 100 MW by April 2012. The facility's output expanded further to 200 MW by July 2012 and then to 247 MW by August 2012 following the completion of its tenth segment. Installation of panels was temporarily halted until 2013, during which time the inventory was secured on-site. The plant achieved full operational capacity ahead of schedule in September 2013.
Project overview
In August 2011, the Department of Energy approved a $967 million loan guarantee supporting the project. The developer, NRG Solar, anticipated that construction would generate approximately 400 jobs, with around 16 permanent positions for ongoing operation. At completion, it was expected to rank among the largest solar facilities globally. Electricity produced is sold to PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) under a Power Purchase Agreement lasting 25 years.
The plant uses Series 3 thin film panels based on CdS/CdTe technology, with individual panels delivering between 77 and 82.5 watts and installed at a fixed angle. Each array comprises 20,940 panels with a combined rating of 1.26 MWAC. Originally, the plan included installing 400 SMA 720CP inverters, but ultimately 500 SMA 630CP units were utilized. The total installed module capacity amounts to 410 megawatt-peak (MWDC).
Award
In February 2012, Agua Caliente received the Project of the Year Award at the Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards.
Electricity production
The Agua Caliente Solar Project generates an average annual output of 727 GW·h, corresponding to roughly 300 MW·h per acre.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 2,830 | 41,750 | 49,640 | 50,440 | 52,650 | 54,140 | 52,830 | 41,780 | 33,535 | 379,595 | |||
| 2013 | 34,138 | 45,555 | 53,720 | 61,050 | 64,998 | 65,452 | 63,631 | 61,470 | 64,870 | 64,605 | 48,294 | 47,742 | 675,525 |
| 2014 | 50,790 | 50,560 | 66,490 | 69,912 | 74,990 | 73,533 | 71,022 | 67,401 | 63,912 | 60,676 | 55,189 | 36,706 | 741,181 |
| 2015 | 46,007 | 54,670 | 65,495 | 70,829 | 72,742 | 69,880 | 69,307 | 70,319 | 60,023 | 56,974 | 54,110 | 49,378 | 739,734 |
| 2016 | 49,412 | 58,327 | 67,227 | 66,997 | 75,385 | 69,159 | 73,136 | 69,135 | 60,662 | 60,662 | 50,348 | 43,083 | 743,533 |
| 2017 | 47,671 | 46,840 | 67,082 | 68,626 | 72,991 | 72,219 | 68,464 | 68,565 | 63,263 | 61,654 | 45,679 | 45,686 | 728,740 |
| 2018 | 50,151 | 50,877 | 63,711 | 67,512 | 74,187 | 69,705 | 64,469 | 69,550 | 63,477 | 56,043 | 51,746 | 41,896 | 723324 |
| 2019 | 45.979 | 46.912 | 62.930 | 67.181 | 71.999 | 71.168 | 66.646 | 70.400 | 62.679 | 64.270 | 47.119 | 38.884 | 716167 |
| 2020 | 49.620 | 52.221 | 57.708 | 68.379 | 73.737 | 69.996 | 70.568 | 65.616 | 61.024 | 59.763 | 50.358 | 45.691 | 724681 |
| 2021 | 706961 | ||||||||||||
| 2022 | 726680 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 7_606_121 | ||||||||||||
Based on capacity factors and data from NREL technology assessments,the Loan Programs Office estimated an annual generation near 559 GW·h; industry forecasts suggested approximately 626 GW·h per year as a benchmark figure.