Panoche Valley Solar Farm | |
---|---|
| |
Country | United States |
Location | Panoche Valley, San Benito County |
Coordinates | 36°37′N 120°52′W / 36.62°N 120.87°W |
Status | Operational |
Construction began | April 2016 |
Commission date | January 2018 [1] |
Construction cost | approximately $1 billion |
Owner(s) | Panoche Valley Solar, LLC. |
Solar farm | |
Type | Flat-panel PV |
Site area | 1,300 acres (530 ha) |
Power generation | |
Nameplate capacity | 130 MW [2] |
Panoche Valley Solar Farm is a 130 megawatt (MW), [2] utility-scale solar photovoltaic power station in the Panoche Valley of Central California's San Benito County. [3] Panoche Valley is crossed by a 230- kilovolt (kV) power line from the Moss Landing Power Plant. [3]
Originally proposed by Solargen Energy (later known as Nevo Energy), [4] [5] the project was purchased by PV2 Energy in April 2011, with Nevo Energy retaining a small equity interest, but no voting, governance or management input. In April 2012, PV2 Energy entered into a joint venture with Duke Energy, the largest utility in the United States. The project was eventually acquired by Con Edison in 2016. [6]
The project site consists of 4,717 acres (1,909 ha) of private land in the northern portion of the valley. It is used for pasture-based livestock grazing on native grassland habitat. [7] In October 2010, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors approved the company’s environmental impact report. [8] [9] Originally proposed at 399 MW, the cost was estimated at approximately $1 billion. [10] The project faced lawsuits from three environmental groups who charged that project would harm native species such as the giant kangaroo rat, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, San Joaquin kit fox, and various bird species. [6] The project was downsized to 247 MW and eventually 130 MW in 2017 after a settlement was reached. [6] [11] The plant started producing power in January 2018. [1] RWE acquired Con Edison's clean energy business in 2023. [12]
Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | 7,127 | 12,526 | 12,779 | 17,446 | 20,209 | 20,271 | 20,588 | 19,533 | 23,132 | 24,024 | 18,216 | 16,554 | 212,405 |
2019 | 16,691 | 19,603 | 28,963 | 37,719 |