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Panoche Valley Solar Farm

Coordinates: 36°37′N 120°52′W / 36.62°N 120.87°W / 36.62; -120.87
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Panoche Valley Solar Farm
Map
CountryUnited States
LocationPanoche Valley, San Benito County
Coordinates36°37′N 120°52′W / 36.62°N 120.87°W / 36.62; -120.87
StatusOperational
Construction beganApril 2016
Commission dateJanuary 2018[1]
Construction costapproximately $1 billion
Owner(s)Panoche Valley Solar, LLC.
Solar farm
TypeFlat-panel PV
Site area1,300 acres (530 ha)
Power generation
Nameplate capacity130 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]

Electricity production

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Generation (MW·h) of Panoche Valley Solar Farm [1]
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

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Panoche Valley Solar Farm, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  2. ^ a b de Bertaut, Carmel (2018-11-06). "Panoche Valley Preserve Opens". BenitoLink. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
  3. ^ a b "Panoche Valley Solar Farm". San Benito County. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
  4. ^ nevo energy inc (NEVE:OTC US)
  5. ^ "Panoche Valley, California". Retrieved 2010-06-16.
  6. ^ a b c Rogers, Paul (July 21, 2017). "Giant California solar project cut back after environmentalists oppose it". San Jose Mercury News.
  7. ^ Richman, Marty (May 25, 2010). "Marty: Solargen must clear economic hurdles". Hollister Free Lance. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
  8. ^ Weber, Gretchen (October 13, 2010). "Marty: San Benito PV Array Clears a Key Hurdle". KQED. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
  9. ^ "DEIR", cosb.us/Solargen.
  10. ^ Environmentalists Eclipse Solar Energy
  11. ^ Chadwell, John. "Panoche Valley Solar Project money begins to reach county". Benitolink. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019.
  12. ^ "RWE completes $6.8B acquisition of Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses".
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