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Solar Star

Solar Star
Map
CountryUnited States
LocationRosamond, California
Coordinates34°49′50″N 118°23′53″W / 34.83056°N 118.39806°W / 34.83056; -118.39806
StatusOperational
Construction began2013
Commission dateJune 19, 2015
OwnerBHE Renewables
OperatorSunPower
Solar farm
TypeFlat-panel PV
Site area3,200 acres (1,300 ha)
Power generation
Nameplate capacity747.3 MWp,[1] 579 MWAC[2]
Capacity factor32.8% (average 2017-2019)
Annual net output1,663 GW·h, 520 MW·h/acre (average 2017-2019)
External links
Websiteus.sunpower.com
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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 13 square kilometers (3,200 acres).[1][2][3]

Comparison to similar plants

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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.[4]

There are a number of other solar photovoltaic plants nearby:

Electricity production

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Solar Star 1's nameplate capacities are 398 MWdc and 314 MWac.

Generation (MW·h) of Solar Star 1 [7]
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
Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) 891,541

Solar Star 2's nameplate capacities are 350 MWdc and 266 MWac.

Generation (MW·h) of Solar Star 2 [8]
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
Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) 771,694

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Solar Star I and II". Archived from the original on 2014-12-14. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  2. ^ a b "The Solar Star Projects" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-06-21.
  3. ^ "Solar Star, Largest PV Power Plant in the World, Now Operational". GreenTechMedia.com. 24 June 2015. Archived from the original on 25 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  4. ^ Wesoff, Eric (January 14, 2015). "Desert Sunlight, Another 550MW Solar Farm From First Solar, Now Fully Operational". Greentech Media. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  5. ^ Kessler, Richard (5 February 2013). "NRG's Alpine Solar project begins operation". ReCharge News. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  6. ^ Gunther, Edgar A. (January 9, 2013). "NRG Alpine Solar Project Nears Completion". GUNTHER Portfolio. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Solar Star 1, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  8. ^ "Solar Star 2, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
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