Genesis Solar Energy Project

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]

Genesis Solar Energy Project
Mirrors of the project, Mojave Desert, Lower Colorado River Valley, California.
Country	United States
Location	Riverside County, California
Coordinates	33°39′54″N 114°59′41″W
Status	Operational
Construction began	December 15, 2010
Commission date	April 24, 2014[1]
Construction cost	US$1.25 billion[2]
Owner(s)	NextEra Energy Partners
Operator(s)	NextEra Energy Resources
Solar farm
Type	CSP
CSP technology	Parabolic trough
Collectors	500,000
Site area	1,920 acres (780 ha)
Power generation
Units operational	2 x 140 MWe (gross)
Nameplate capacity	250 MW[3]
Capacity factor	28.35%
Annual net output	621 GW·h (2015)

The solar power plant consists of two independent 125 MW net (140 MW gross) sections, using solar trough technology.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]

Production

Genesis Solar Energy Project's production is as follows (MWh).[9]

Generation (MW·h) of Genesis Solar Energy Project [9]

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
Total													3,079,711

Maximum production was estimated at 580,000 MW·h per year.[10]

See also

• Solar power plants in the Mojave Desert
• List of solar thermal power stations

References

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. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
4. Energy.ca.gov: Genesis Solar Energy Project
5. Danelski, David (April 20, 2015). "SACRIFICED FOR SOLAR: Sacred tribal area destroyed for efficiency's sake". The Press-Enterprise. Riverside, California.
6. "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.
7. Danelski, David (April 16, 2015). "SOLAR POWER: Inland plants boost state to No. 1". The Press-Enterprise. Riverside, California.
8. Kagan, Rebecca A (2014-06-23). "Avian Mortality at Solar Energy Facilities in Southern California: A Preliminary Analysis" (PDF). Palen Solar Power Project - Compliance. Retrieved 2014-12-07.
9. "Genesis Solar Energy Project, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
10. "Genesis Solar Energy Project". Concentrating Solar Power Projects. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). April 25, 2014. Retrieved 2015-06-28.

External links

• Nexteraenergyresources.com: Genesis Solar Energy Project — (redesign factsheet)