Genesis Solar Energy Project

Genesis Solar Energy Project
Mirrors of the project,
Mojave Desert, Lower Colorado River Valley, California.
Map
CountryUnited States
LocationRiverside County, California
Coordinates33°39′54″N 114°59′41″W / 33.66500°N 114.99472°W / 33.66500; -114.99472
StatusOperational
Construction beganDecember 15, 2010
Commission dateApril 24, 2014[1]
Construction costUS$1.25 billion[2]
OwnerNextEra Energy Partners
OperatorNextEra Energy Resources
Solar farm
TypeCSP
CSP technologyParabolic trough
Collectors500,000
Site area1,920 acres (780 ha)
Power generation
Units operational2 x 140 MWe (gross)
Nameplate capacity250 MW[3]
Capacity factor28.32% (2016-2020)
Annual net output620 GW·h
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The Genesis Solar Energy Project is a concentrated solar power station located in the Mojave Desert on 1,920 acres (780 ha) of Bureau of Land Management land, in eastern Riverside County, California. The plant is owned/managed by Genesis Solar, LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC. The Genesis Solar Energy Project is located about 25 miles (40 km) west of Blythe, in the Lower Colorado River Valley.[4] The plant was built in the Colorado Desert along an ancient trade route that native people had traveled for thousands of years. The route traversed the Sonoran Desert and enabled trade between the Colorado River and the coast.[5][6]

The solar power plant consists of two independent 125 MW net (140 MW gross) sections, using solar trough technology.[7] This was one of three of the world's largest solar plants, that began supplying power in 2013 and 2014, located in the deserts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.[8] The Project power block and solar arrays occupy about 1,360 acres (550 ha) of the site. The rest are the evaporation ponds, access road, administration buildings and some fenced open area. The 1840 Solar Collector Assemblies are 1,048 square metres (11,280 sq ft) each, yielding 1,928,320 square metres (20,756,300 sq ft) of total solar aperture.

A June 2014 report details the project's potential impact on bird populations.[9]

Production

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Genesis Solar Energy Project's production is as follows (MWh).[10]

Generation (MW·h) of Genesis Solar Energy Project [10]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
2013 345 6,684 7,029
2014 4,892 13,080 48,455 60,960 72,621 80,979 68,861 66,969 63,976 46,236 35,271 13,813 576,113
2015 16,876 40,980 60,875 70,919 72,725 70,898 70,190 69,009 52,732 41,160 33,601 21,489 621,454
2016 17,573 45,940 55,704 55,737 79,177 76,282 77,787 67,890 58,971 48,245 30,618 10,218 624,142
2017 21,248 28,112 62,031 64,575 75,992 83,297 68,336 68,704 62,515 55,708 22,099 16,214 627,831
2018 24,000 37,452 50,348 63,379 79,074 80,337 65,787 67,571 67,820 43,918 29,755 13,701 623,142
2019 21,504 32,737 49,442 64,304 71,059 76,978 70,784 73,918 60,203 56,903 26,794 12,417 617,043
2020 18,874 34,184 46,428 68,153 82,837 78,973 82,897 64,037 50,644 46,579 29,435 6,088 609,129
2021 1,905 16,631 55,797 66,672 78,899 67,839 55,492 62,516 52,333 42,882 27,358 10,283 538,607
2022 22,275 37,730 55,671 68,625 80,949 78,285 62,529 57,542 50,694 50,523 31,068 17,816 613,707
2023 13,879 32,899 40,676 70,312 79,404 82,249 73,300 64,977 59,064 53,893 29,489 18,042 618,184
Total (2013-2023) 6,070,352

Maximum production was estimated at 580,000 MW·h per year.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Another Huge Solar Plant Goes Online in California's Desert Archived 2016-05-15 at the Portuguese Web Archive, Chris Clarke, REWIRE, May 5, 2014
  2. ^ Wesoff, Eric (30 August 2011). "250MW Genesis Thermal Solar Gets $852M DOE Loan Guarantee". www.greentechmedia.com. Wood Mackenzie. Archived from the original on 21 December 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  3. ^ "Genesis Solar Energy Project Eastern Riverside County, California - Amendment (09-AFC-8)" (PDF). California Energy Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-13. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Energy.ca.gov: Genesis Solar Energy Project". Archived from the original on 2013-05-10. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  5. ^ Danelski, David (April 20, 2015). "SACRIFICED FOR SOLAR: Sacred tribal area destroyed for efficiency's sake". The Press-Enterprise. Riverside, California.
  6. ^ "Tribes want Biden to balance technology and cultural issues in renewable energy projects". www.azcentral.com. 2021-01-18.
  7. ^ "Blm.gov: Renewable Energy Projects Approved Since the Beginning of Calendar Year 2009". Archived from the original on 2013-05-02. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  8. ^ Danelski, David (April 16, 2015). "SOLAR POWER: Inland plants boost state to No. 1". The Press-Enterprise. Riverside, California.
  9. ^ Kagan, Rebecca A (2014-06-23). "Avian Mortality at Solar Energy Facilities in Southern California: A Preliminary Analysis" (PDF). Palen Solar Power Project - Compliance. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-26. Retrieved 2014-12-07.
  10. ^ a b "Genesis Solar Energy Project, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  11. ^ "Genesis Solar Energy Project". Concentrating Solar Power Projects. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). April 25, 2014. Retrieved 2015-06-28.
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