Solar Electricity Generation in California

Solar Electricity Generation in California

• Large-Scale Solar Thermal Electricity Generation
• Solar Photovoltaic Electricity

---

Large-Scale Solar Thermal Electricity Generation

Prior to California's Renewable Portfolio Standards in 2002, 13 solar thermal power projects were planned in California, with 11 of those filing applications with the Energy Commission. Nine projects (Solar Energy Generating Station - SEGS I to IX), totaling 354 MW, were built by LUZ, an Israeli-based company, which went bankrupt in the early 1990s. SEGS III to IX are currently owned by FPL Energy, and SEGS I and II are owned by Sunray Energy Inc.

New solar thermal electricity projects are being built in California. For details, please see the Energy Commission's Solar Electricity page.

Project Name	Capacity In MW	CEC Docket Number	Location	County	Date Certified	On-Line Date
SOLAR 100	110.0	81-AFC-4		San Bernardino	12/29/82	Never built - land use issues
Luz SEGS I Solar/Nat Gas	13.8	Local Jurisdiction Under 50 MW	Daggett	San Bernardino		12/20/84
Luz SEGS II Solar/Nat Gas	30	Local Jurisdiction Under 50 MW	Daggett	San Bernardino		12/31/85
Luz SEGS III-VII Solar/Nat Gas)	150.0 5 X 30 MW	87-AFC-1	Kramer Junction	San Bernardino	5/25/88	2/1/89
Luz SEGS VIII Solar/Nat Gas	80.0	88-AFC-1	Harper Dry Lake	San Bernardino	3/29/89	12/1/89
Luz SEGS IX Solar/Nat Gas	80.0	89-AFC-1	Harper Dry Lake	San Bernardino	2/14/90	10/1/90
Luz SEGS X Solar/Nat Gas	80.0	89-AFC-1	Harper Dry Lake	San Bernardino	Suspended 5/13/1992	Construction halted - company bankruptcy
Luz SEGS XI Solar/Nat Gas	80.0	89-AFC-2	Harper Dry Lake	San Bernardino	Suspended 5/13/1992	Never built - company bankruptcy
Luz SEGS XII Solar/Nat Gas	80.0	91-AFC-1	Harper Dry Lake	San Bernardino	Suspended 5/13/1992	Never built - company bankruptcy
Solar one and Solar Two	10.0	n/a	Daggett, California	San Bernardino	n/a	The Solar one central tower research facility was completed in 1981 and was operational from 1982 to 1986. Solar two added more mirrors and was operational from 1995 to 1999.

Solar Photovoltaic Electricity

The country's first large utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) array was built by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District near its, now closed, Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Plant. It went on line beginning in August 1984 through 1985 with 2.0 megawatts (MW). Another 1.19 MW was added in 1994-1995, bring the total installed capacity to 3.19 MW.

In 1986, Pacific Gas and Electricity built a 650 kilowatt system in Davis. It was operated as a national cooperative research facility for PV module testing and output verification. The project was supported by and eventually sold to the California Energy Commission in 1997, then sold to the City of Davis in 2001 for a symbolic $1. It was reactivated in 2003 to generate power for the city and alleviate the recent energy crisis and remains in operation today.

The largest PV system in the 1980s to 1990s was a 6.5 MW facility installed by ARCO Solar Inc. in the Carissa Plains area of California in 1985. Power was purchased by Southern California Edison. ARCO sold its plant to Carissa Solar Corporation, which

because of low prices from utility companies decided it was more profitable to dismantle the solar panels and sell them than to operate the project.

With the advent of new incentives for grid-connected solar photovoltaic systems beginning in 1998, California entered a new era of solar energy production. From 1981 to 1998, the state had a total of 6,263 kilowatts (kW) of installed capacity. By 2002, the total had increased to 29,820 kW, and by December 31, 2007, the total had increased to 279,463 kW.

 

Year	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Cumulative Total Installed Capacity in Kilowatts	37	75	86	1,231	1,245	2,217	2,217	2,221	2,280	2,295	2,312	2,801	3,606	4,064	4,193	5,046	5,465	6,263	7,228	8,929	15,180	29,820	58,460	95,984	139,516	198,257	279,463

Source: California Energy Commission Amount (MW) of Grid-Connected Solar Photovoltaics (PV) in California, 1981 to 12/31/07