Solar power is growing at an extremely fast speed. In 2014, the total amount of PV installation will surpass 150GW, up from just 5GW in 2005. This near exponential expansion comes from reductions in the cost of production and increases in each panel's efficiency - it has led some to believe we are experiencing a "Moore's Law" of energy production.
For this article, the top ten solar plants will be listed out by annual Gigawatt-hours. In some cases these installations have a much higher potential capacity, but because they are still building or upgrading- their full potential has not yet been reached. Now on to the list:
#10
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Name
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Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant
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Location
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Ontario, Canada
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Annual Output
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120GWh
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Interesting Facts
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- Plant developed by First Solar and Enbridge
- Was made by a Canadian government feed-in tariff of CDN 44.3 cents per kWh
- Contains about 635 acres (96.6 ha) of modules, which is about 1.3 million panels
- Uses Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film technology
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Related Links
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//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarnia_Photovoltaic_Power_Plant
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#9
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Name
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Silver State North Project
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Location
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Nevada, USA
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Annual Output
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122GWh
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Interesting Facts
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- A thin film solar farm
- Developed by First Solar and owned by Enbridge
- Power 15,000 homes in Nevada and California
- A legacy of the Obama administration's American Recovery Act, First Solar was eligible to receive 30% of the construction cost back from the government - or around $30 million
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Related Links
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//www.enbridge.com/DeliveringEnergy/RenewableEnergy/Solar.aspx
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#8
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Name
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Perovo Solar Park
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Location
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Perovo, Crimea
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Annual Output
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133GWh
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Interesting Facts
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- In a precarious position because the region is now occupied by Russia and formerly held by Ukraine
- Owned by Austrian power company Active Solar and has enjoyed a relatively high feed-in tariff from the Ukraine government of €0.46 per kilowatt hour
- Ukraine may discontinue the tariff program with the station now being in territory annexed by Russia
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Related Links
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//www.activsolar.com/products/pv-project-development/project-references
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#7
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Name
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Ningxia Qingyang Solar Park
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Location
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Ningxia, China
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Annual Output
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150GWh
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Interesting Facts
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- Takes advantage of the relatively elevated solar insolation levels of the high desert region, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
- Covers an area of 2.3 square kilometers in the Tengger Desert
- Hong Kong based GCL-Poly developed the site and owns 51% of the plant
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#6
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Name
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Xitieshan PV Plant
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Location
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Qinghai, China
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Annual Output
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150GWh
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Interesting Facts
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- Takes advantages of clear skies and good sunlight in Northwest China
- Plant developed by the CGN Solar Energy Development Co a subsidiary of China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation
- It was the biggest solar installation by gigawatt in the world when it was completed in 2011, but now it’s fallen to number 6 in 2014
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Related Links
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//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xitieshan_Solar_Park
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#5
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Name
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Catalina Solar Project
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Location
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California, USA
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Annual Output
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204GWh
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Interesting Facts
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- California's Mojave Desert has some of the highest solar insolation levelsin North America, as well as energy hungry metropolitan areas of Southern California close by
- Jointly owned by EDF Renewable Energyand financial services company TIAA-CREF
- Power about 35,000 homes and will offset about 74,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions - the latter being very important in meeting California's tough emission standards
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Related Links
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//www.edf-re.com/projects/detail/catalina_solar_project/
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#4
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Name
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Huanghe Hydropower Golmud Solar Park
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Location
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Qinghai, China
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Annual Output
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317GWh
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Interesting Facts
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- A pure PV plant developed by Yingli Solar and managed by Huanghe Hydropower
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Related Links
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//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huanghe_Hydropower_Golmud_Solar_Park
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#3
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Name
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California Valley Solar Ranch
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Location
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California, USA
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Annual Output
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399GWh
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Interesting Facts
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- The California Solar Ranch is located 270 kilometers northwest of Los Angeles and covers 1,966 acres of former grazing land
- Plant owned by NRG Energy and developed by SunPower
- Sunpower provided 88,000 tracking modules that pivot the panels - allowing them to absorb the maximum amount of rays all through the day
- Power roughly 100,000 homes, which means 5% of LA homes are potentially powered by solar
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Related Links
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//www.californiavalleysolarranch.com/
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#2
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Name
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Mesquite Solar Project
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Location
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Arizona, USA
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Annual Output
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413GWh
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Interesting Facts
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- With over 300 days of sunshine, The Mesquite Solar Project is well situated, 100 kilometers outside the major metropolitan area of Phoenix (Pop. 1.5 million)
- Has the potential to power 260,000 homes
- Plant run by US power company, Sempra Energy, with 800,000 panels supplied by Chinese manufacturer Suntech Power
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Related Links
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//www.semprausgp.com/energy-solutions/solar-mesquite-solar.html
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#1
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Name
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Agua Caliente Solar Project
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Location
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Arizona, USA
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Annual Output
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626GWh
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Interesting Facts
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- Located in the desert about 160 kilometers southwest of Phoenix
- Plant was just completed in April, 2014
- The panels are thin film cells manufactured by First Solarthat are cheaper on a per watt basis than those manufactured from crystalline silicon
- Does not use a tracking module to point the panels at the sun – which is another way to save cost
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Related Links
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//www.firstsolar.com/en/about-us/projects/agua-caliente-solar-project
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