Desert Sunlight Solar Farm

Desert Sunlight Solar Farm
Solar arrays at Desert Sunlight
CountryUnited States
LocationRiverside County, California
Coordinates33°49′17″N 115°23′38″W / 33.82139°N 115.39389°W / 33.82139; -115.39389
StatusOperational
Construction began2011
Commission date2015
OwnersNextEra Energy Resources, Clearway Energy, CalPERS
Solar farm
TypeFlat-panel PV
fixed tilt
Site area3,900 acres (1,600 ha)
Power generation
Nameplate capacity550 MWAC
Capacity factor27.5% (average 2015-2018)
Annual net output1,325 GW·h,
340 MW·h/acre (462.4 MW·h/hectare)
External links
Websitefirstsolar.com

The Desert Sunlight Solar Farm is a 550-megawatt (MWAC) fixed-tilt photovoltaic power station approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Desert Center, California, United States, in the Mojave Desert.[1] It was made by the US thin-film manufacturer First Solar but now has split ownership between NextEra Energy Resources, Clearway Energy, and California Public Employee's Retirement System (CalPERS).[2][3][4] It has the same 550 MW installed capacity as the Topaz Solar Farm in the Carrizo Plain region of Central California, making both of them tied for the second largest completed solar plants by installed capacity as of fall 2015.[5][6]

Project details

The project was built on over 6 square miles (16 km2) of creosote bush-dominated desert habitat near Desert Center next to Joshua Tree National Park.[7] Construction began in September 2011 and final completion was in January 2015.[6][8]

The Desert Sunlight Solar Farm was expanded with battery energy storage systems (BESS) in 2022 and 2024. Desert Sunlight Battery Energy Storage System, also known as Sunlight Storage I, was the first phase of BESS that added 230 MW of 4-hour storage to the facility[9] and became operational in 2022.[10] Sunlight Storage II added an additional 300 MW of 4-hour storage the facility[11] and became operational in 2024.[12] The combined total of the two storage facilities is 530 MW of 4-hour storage, or 2,120 MWh. Both storage facilities were built within the fence line of the original solar facility and therefore caused minimal new environmental impacts.[11]

Electricity production

Total Facility Generation
(Annual Sum from Both Units Below)
Year Total Annual MW·h
2013 104,301
2014 1,020,905
2015 1,286,763
2016 1,346,282
2017 1,321,129
2018 1,344,841
Average (2015–2018) 1,324,754
Generation (MW·h) of Desert Sunlight 250, LLC [13]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
2013 12,877 15,657 28,534
2014 21,773 27,207 34,901 41,461 39,400 43,829 51,572 39,497 46,360 46,364 46,793 34,333 473,490
2015 40,399 47,894 56,371 59,569 60,775 57,715 58,348 58,787 39,097 47,562 45,791 41,633 613,941
2016 39,151 50,933 55,135 54,198 63,118 59,008 61,051 57,526 53,062 50,947 43,476 36,137 623,742
2017 25,225 28,175 52,539 55,354 69,598 75,424 68,750 63,536 59,329 54,655 33,586 32,031 618,201
2018 28,722 40,501 46,310 57,894 69,784 75,188 64,990 65,442 61,950 48,809 33,573 26,709 619,921
Generation (MW·h) of Desert Sunlight 300, LLC [14]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
2013 10,015 32,709 33,043 75,767
2014 32,312 34,615 44,998 45,876 43,733 47,205 45,698 44,642 66,531 51,571 52,960 37,274 547,415
2015 45,802 52,966 60,742 64,541 61,367 63,147 63,620 63,517 44,398 53,467 51,543 47,712 672,822
2016 44,903 58,492 61,875 60,223 74,220 70,241 72,661 67,907 61,623 58,041 50,542 41,812 722,540
2017 28,682 32,036 59,740 62,940 79,137 85,761 78,172 72,243 67,460 62,146 38,189 36,421 702,928
2018 33,645 47,361 54,154 67,699 81,604 87,922 75,998 76,527 72,443 57,076 39,259 31,232 724,920

See also

References

  1. ^ "One of the world's largest solar projects starts commercial operation". NextEra Energy Newsroom. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  2. ^ "Desert Sunlight Solar Farm". Market Research Company - Blackridge Research & Consulting™. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  3. ^ "NRG Yield Enters into Agreement to Acquire Interest in Largest Operating Solar Farm in North America". clearwayenergy.com. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  4. ^ Kenning, Tom (2016-03-24). "CalPERS to buy 25% stake in California's Desert Sunlight". PV Tech. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  5. ^ Goldenstein, Taylor ( 9 February 2015) "Huge solar farm opens in California: Enough energy for 160,000 homes" Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ a b FirstSolar.com Desert Sunlight Solar Farm
  7. ^ "Desert Sunlight Solar Farm Project". Bureau of Land Management. Archived from the original on 30 November 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  8. ^ "Desert Sunlight Solar Farm, Desert Center, california". Powermag.
  9. ^ "Desert Sunlight Battery Energy Storage System". eplanning.blm.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  10. ^ "BLM announces Desert Sunlight battery storage facility is fully operational". Bureau of Land Management. 2022-08-16. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  11. ^ a b "Sunlight Storage II BESS". eplanning.blm.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  12. ^ "BLM announces Sunlight Storage II Battery System is fully operational". Bureau of Land Management. 2024-04-15. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  13. ^ "Desert Sunlight 250, LLC, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  14. ^ "Desert Sunlight 300, LLC, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
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