California Valley Solar Ranch

California Valley Solar Ranch
Company type	Power facility
Industry	Solar energy
Founded	2011
Headquarters	California Valley, United States
Area served	California
Products	Photovoltaic power (250 MWAC)
Owner	NRG Energy
Website	www.californiavalleysolarranch.com

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article California Valley Solar Ranch, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 7 August 2025

The California Valley Solar Ranch (CVSR) is a photovoltaic power facility with a capacity of 250 megawatt (MW_AC), situated in the Carrizo Plain, northeast of California Valley. The plant is owned by NRG Energy and was developed with SunPower acting as both the EPC contractor and technology supplier.

Built on a former grazing area spanning , CVSR utilizes high-efficiency crystalline photovoltaic panels engineered and produced by SunPower. The installation includes nearly 88,000 SunPower solar tracking units that continuously adjust the panels’ angle to follow the sun’s path during daylight hours.

Project overview

Groundbreaking for the project commenced in 2011, with initial operations launching in 2012 at a capacity of 22 MW, reaching full operational status by October 2013. Once completed, CVSR ranked among the world’s largest photovoltaic solar power plants, providing electricity to approximately 100,000 households.

The facility covers 1,966 acres within a larger 4,365-acre site formerly used for grazing. It employs SunPower-designed high-efficiency crystalline PV modules and integrates up to 88,000 solar trackers that optimize sunlight capture throughout the day. With a rated capacity of 250 MW, the plant produces around 550 gigawatt-hours (GW·h) annually. Its capacity factor hovers near 25%, with generation timed to coincide with peak daytime electricity demand when prices are elevated.

Power Purchase Agreement

On August 14, 2008, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) committed to purchasing all electricity generated by the facility. A Conditional Use Permit application was submitted in January 2009. In November 2010, NRG Energy revealed intentions to acquire the California Valley Solar Ranch from SunPower for up to $450 million. By September 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy extended NRG Solar a loan guarantee valued at $1.237 billion, covering most of the construction expenses. The overall project investment was estimated at $1.6 billion.

Environment

The Carrizo Plain is home to thirteen endangered species such as the San Joaquin kit fox, giant kangaroo rat, and California condor. SunPower worked closely with local stakeholders to safeguard wildlife habitats and migration routes, reducing construction-related traffic impacts. In 2012, SunPower partnered with First Solar to establish a 19,000-acre conservation reserve aimed at protecting key species and mitigating habitat loss concerns.

Electricity production

Generation (MW·h) of California Valley Solar Ranch
Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
2012									4,014	4,190	5,504	8,019	21,727
2013	15,824	20,631	24,304	28,133	10,533	25,459	31,131	51,646	63,073	56,747	37,300	34,583	399,364
2014	35,851	36,710	54,654	66,210	78,967	84,024	77,526	74,398	60,789	50,939	36,701	27,634	684,403
2015	36,087	43,208	60,175	67,920	70,492	77,665	75,705	75,695	60,536	48,796	40,421	31,553	688,253
2016	27,064	48,485	58,571	63,317	71,275	80,545	82,609	74,310	63,259	44,720	37,633	28,008	679,796
2017	25,685	28,689	53,629	57,222	72,972	79,042	71,978	66,590	62,052	57,168	35,337	37,178	647,541
Average Annual Production (2014-2017)													675,000

Incidents

In June 2019, a fire triggered by a bird-related event damaged the facility's poles and cables, resulting in a loss of about 84% of its power generation capability. It was anticipated that complete restoration of operations would be achieved within one month.

External links

California Valley Solar Ranch (official website)