Copper Mountain Solar Facility

Copper Mountain Solar Facility
Location of Copper Mountain Solar Facility
Country	United States
Location	Boulder City, Nevada
Coordinates	35°47′N 114°59.5′W / 35.783°N 114.9917°W / 35.783; -114.9917Coordinates: 35°47′N 114°59.5′W / 35.783°N 114.9917°W / 35.783; -114.9917
Status	Operational
Construction began	January 2010
Commission date	December 1, 2010
Construction cost	$141 million
Owner(s)	Sempra Generation
Solar farm information
Type	Flat-panel PV
Photovoltaic modules	775,000 First Solar panels
Power generation information
Installed capacity	48 MW
Maximum capacity	250 MW
Capacity factor	24%
Annual generation	100 GW·h [1]
As of 26 December 2010

The Copper Mountain Solar Facility is a 48 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic power plant in Boulder City, Nevada.^[2] Sempra Generation announced on December 1, 2010 that it had finished the project and the facility was generating electricity. When the facility entered service, it was the largest photovoltaic plant in the U.S.^[3]

The power from Copper Mountain Solar Facility has been sold to Pacific Gas & Electric under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).^[2]

History

Sempra Generation built the plant from January 2010 to December 1, 2010,^[3] at a cost of about $141 million.^[4]

At its construction peak more than 350 workers were installing the 775,000 First Solar panels on the 380-acre (1.5 km²) site.^[2]

An expansion of the facility by more than 200 MW was approved in 2010.^[3] On August 4, 2011, Sempra announced a plan to expand the facility by 92 MW to be online in January 2013 and another 58 MW to be added by 2015.^[5]

See also

Renewable energy portal Energy portal

• List of concentrating solar thermal power companies
• List of photovoltaic power stations
• List of solar thermal power stations
• Nevada Solar One
• Renewable energy in the United States
• Renewable portfolio standard
• Solar power plants in the Mojave Desert
• Solar power in Nevada
• Solar power in the United States

References

1. ^ "PG&E Contracts With Sempra Generation For More Solar Power" (Press release). Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). July 27, 2009. http://www.pge.com/about/news/mediarelations/newsreleases/q3_2009/090727.shtml. Retrieved 19 August 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} America's Largest PV Power Plant Is Now Live (December 6, 2010), Renewable Energy World.
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Copper Mountain Solar, the Largest Photovoltaic Solar Plant in the U.S.". Solar Thermal Magazine. http://www.solarthermalmagazine.com/?p=7860. Retrieved April 11, 2011. 
4. ^ Goldberg, Delen (April 3, 2011). "Questions emerge over tax breaks for solar project". Las Vegas Sun. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/apr/03/solar-power-lukewarm-job-production/. Retrieved 19 August 2011. 
5. ^ Sempra to expand Copper Mountain solar plant, Reuters, Aug 4, 201