{"id":308,"date":"2014-12-09T08:01:39","date_gmt":"2014-12-09T08:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zoldenergiablog.hu\/en\/?page_id=308"},"modified":"2016-05-05T08:09:16","modified_gmt":"2016-05-05T08:09:16","slug":"worlds-largest-solar-farm-goes-online-in-california","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/zoldenergiablog.hu\/en\/archive\/worlds-largest-solar-farm-goes-online-in-california\/","title":{"rendered":"World’s Largest Solar Farm Goes Online In California"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another giant solar farm has been constructed on desert lands in California, stealing the title of the largest solar plant in the world<\/strong>. The farm, which is called Topaz, recently went online after its final 40-megawatt phase was completed, making it the first 500-plus megawatt solar plant to be up and running in the US.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Located in San Luis Obispo County on California\u2019s Carrizo Plain, Topaz consists of a whopping nine\u00a0million solar panels sprawling across 9.5 square miles of land. This sets it apart from the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in California\u2019s Mojave Desert, which creates energy by directing sunlight towards a central boiler using thousands of mirrors. While it generates a lot of green energy, the Ivanpah farm has received a lot of criticism because the intense sunlight has been scorching wildlife, in particular birds. Topaz, however, does not use mirrors but photovoltaic solar panels instead.<\/p>\n

Construction of the $2.5 billion project began two years ago, but it wasn\u2019t anticipated to be finished until early next year. The company behind the project, First Solar, said that the plant should generate 550 megawatts, which is enough to supply around 160,000 average homes<\/strong>. What\u2019s more, it will also displace 377,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Topaz\u2019s location was chosen after proximity to existing electrical transmission lines, land use and environmental sensitivities were all taken into consideration. According to First Solar, the farm is located on \u201cdisturbed farm land\u201d with limited productivity, miles away from the more sensitive areas in the Carrizo Plain National Monument.<\/p>\n

Topaz might hold the title for the world\u2019s largest solar farm at the moment, but it will be overtaken possibily\u00a0as early as next year when the Solar Star plant achieves full capacity, which should generate almost 580 megawatts. Both Solar Star and Topaz are owned by MidAmerican Solar.<\/p>\n

Project Benefits<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS<\/p>\n

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  • Enough power for 160,000 average homes<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Displaces 377,000 tons of CO2 annually\u2014equivalent to taking 73,000 cars off the road<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Lowest environmental impact of any PV technology<\/em><\/li>\n
  • No water used for electricity generation<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    ECONOMIC BENEFITS<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Full economic benefits summary<\/em><\/li>\n
    • $192 million in compensation for approximately 400 construction jobs over a 3-year period<\/em><\/li>\n
    • $52 million in economic output for local suppliers<\/em><\/li>\n
    • $14 million in sales taxes during construction and up to $400,000 per year in new property tax revenues<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      EDUCATIONAL<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Proposed 30kW solar array for Carrisa Plains Elementary School to support solar learning opportunities<\/em><\/li>\n
      • Cuesta College vocational solar training supported with 5kW array and meteorological station<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n