Blythe Mesa Solar Power Project
| Company type | Power plant |
|---|---|
| Industry | Solar energy |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Blythe, California , United States |
Area served | Riverside County, California |
Key people | NextEra Energy Resources (owner) |
| Products | Photovoltaic electricity |
| Parent | NextEra Energy Resources |
The Blythe Mesa Solar Power Project, also referred to as the Blythe Solar Energy Center, is a 235 megawatt (MWAC) photovoltaic power plant situated near Blythe, California within Riverside County, California. This facility occupies approximately of public territory overseen by the Bureau of Land Management in the Mojave Desert. It employs CdTe thin film panels supplied by the American company First Solar. The majority of the generated electricity is contracted under 20-year power purchase agreements with Kaiser Permanente and Southern California Edison.
Adjacent to this installation lies the 250 MW McCoy Solar Energy Project, collectively creating a combined 485 MW solar complex.
Project Details
After several years of development beginning around 2010, NextEra Energy Resources acquired the project assets in June 2012. In 2013, NextEra proposed restructuring the facility into three segments of 125 MW and one segment of 110 MW, amounting to a total capacity of 485 MW spread over . Official state authorization was granted in January 2014, followed by approval from the Bureau of Land Management in August 2015.
Site preparation commenced in early 2015. By February that year, Kaiser Permanente had committed to purchasing 110 MW. Construction efforts intensified starting March 2015. In November, the California Public Utilities Commission sanctioned a power purchase agreement between NextEra and Southern California Edison for 125 MW.
The initial two units, with capacities of 110 MW and 125 MW respectively, became operational in April and October of 2016. Further expansion plans hinge on securing additional purchasers. In September 2017, Modesto Irrigation District agreed to acquire 2.5 million megawatt-hours over a span of 20 years.
Prior Development History
Originally, Blythe Solar was envisioned as a $6 billion, 1000 MW parabolic trough solar thermal CSP facility consisting of four units each rated at 242 MW on of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management near Blythe. The project was developed by Solar Trust of America, which was 70% owned by Solar Millennium, with planned collaboration from Chevron Energy Solutions. This initiative aligned with California’s goal to achieve a 33% renewable electricity target by 2020, necessitating between 15,000 and 20,000 MW of renewable capacity.
The project received approval from the California Energy Commission on September 15, 2010, followed by clearance from the Bureau of Land Management in October of the same year. In April 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy offered a conditional loan guarantee valued at $2.1 billion to Solar Trust aimed at reducing financing expenses for half of the $2.8 billion construction budget; however, Solar Trust declined this offer.
By August 2011, Solar Trust announced a strategic pivot from solar thermal technology to photovoltaic (PV) systems for the initial half of the project. German solar developer Solarhybrid, a project partner, engaged with First Solar to supply PV modules.
In 2012, an attempt by Solar Millennium to transfer its ownership stake in Solar Trust to Solarhybrid was unsuccessful, leading Solar Trust to file for bankruptcy protection. Subsequently, NextEra Energy Inc. emerged as the leading bidder and acquired the project in June 2012.
Electricity Generation
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 6,024 | 14,435 | 28,283 | 31,159 | 26,260 | 30,601 | 24,481 | 21,036 | 16,608 | 12,444 | 211,331 | ||
| 2017 | 10,816 | 12,081 | 22,584 | 24,097 | 30,729 | 33,285 | 30,311 | 28,042 | 26,130 | 24,074 | 14,881 | 15,656 | 272,685 |
| Mean Yearly Production (2017) | 273,000 | ||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 10,775 | 17,966 | 17,318 | 16,040 | 22,189 | 17,222 | 101,510 | ||||||
| 2017 | 13,846 | 15,465 | 28,909 | 30,846 | 39,337 | 42,609 | 38,801 | 35,897 | 33,450 | 30,817 | 19,049 | 20,042 | 349,067 |
| Mean Yearly Production (2017) | 349,000 | ||||||||||||
See also
- McCoy Solar Energy Project
- Blythe Photovoltaic Power Plant
- Solar power in California
- Solar power in the United States
External links
- Blythe Solar Power Project, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
- (Solar Millennium) Blythe Solar Power Project, California Energy Commission (archived)
- Blythe Solar Power Project, U.S. Bureau of Land Management