By Ucilia Wang
Renewable Energy World
Most people who drive up and down on Highway 101 through California would never think of making a one-hour detour through the oak-dotted hills, canyons and ranches to visit the Carrizo Plain, a beautiful swath of land that is ringed by mountains and, in the spring, blooms with wildflowers. Yet, soon this region will be host to what will be among the largest solar power plants in the country.
NRG Solar and MidAmerican Solar, along with SunPower and First Solar, held a tour of their construction sites last week. The 3,200-acre projects, called California Valley Solar Ranch, are still in the early stages of completion – NRG and SunPower also announced that they have connected 22 MW of the 250 MW(ac) to the grid under a 25-year contract with Pacific Gas & Electric.
MidAmerican and First Solar said they have installed just over 1 million of the nearly 9 million solar panels that will make up the 550 MW(ac) project, though none have been connected to the grid yet. The companies declined to specify how many megawatts have been built, so a rough estimate is somewhere around 60 MW. At 550 MW, Topaz Solar Farms will occupy about 3,500 acres and become the largest solar power plant in the country.
