NRG Energy and SunPower Corp. have announced the completion of the 250MW California Valley Solar Ranch (CVSR). The facility is now fully operational, two months ahead of schedule.
Located in eastern San Luis Obispo County, CVSR will generate enough clean energy to power the equivalent of 100,000 average homes and avoid the equivalent of 336,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
The massive solar farm, currently one of the largest in the world, has and will continue to provide a major boost to the local economy; to the tune of around USD $315 million.
Solar arrays cover only 30% of the total 4,700-acre CVSR site. As part of the project, reseeding to promote vegetation recovery around the arrays was carried out and wildlife migration pathways have been preserved. An abandoned gypsum mine on the site was cleaned and restored.
“Beyond offsetting carbon emissions and offering clean energy from one of the world’s largest solar facilities, this project’s design takes a leap forward by integrating the surrounding environment in a sustainable manner,” said Randy Hickok, senior vice president of NRG Solar.
“In addition to its nine solar photovoltaic arrays, CVSR includes a water recycling plant that minimizes annual water use and a plan for protecting and conserving more than 12,000 acres of land in and around the facility.”
The solar farm incorporates close to 750,000 solar panels, SunPower Oasis Power Plant and SunPower T0 Tracker technology.
NRG and SunPower will jointly operate and maintain CVSR for two years, after which NRG will assume sole responsibility for operating the site.
“SunPower is very proud to have developed and built this project, which combines our world leading solar technology with eco-design principals to responsibly maximize energy delivery over the life of the system,” said Howard Wenger, SunPower president.
