Wikipedia

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][6]

Genesis Solar Energy Project
Mirrors of the project,
Mojave Desert, Lower Colorado River Valley, California.
Map
CountryUnited States
LocationRiverside County, California
Coordinates33°39′54″N 114°59′41″W / 33.66500°N 114.99472°W / 33.66500; -114.99472
StatusOperational
Construction beganDecember 15, 2010
Commission dateApril 24, 2014[1]
Construction costUS$1.25 billion[2]
OwnerNextEra Energy Partners
OperatorNextEra Energy Resources
Solar farm
TypeCSP
CSP technologyParabolic trough
Collectors500,000
Site area1,920 acres (780 ha)
Power generation
Units operational2 x 140 MWe (gross)
Nameplate capacity250 MW[3]
Capacity factor28.32% (2016-2020)
Annual net output620 GW·h
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The solar power plant consists of two independent 125 MW net (140 MW gross) sections, using solar trough technology.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

Production

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Genesis Solar Energy Project's production is as follows (MWh).[10]

Generation (MW·h) of Genesis Solar Energy Project [10]
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2013 3456,684 7,029
2014 4,89213,08048,45560,96072,62180,97968,86166,96963,97646,23635,27113,813 576,113
2015 16,87640,98060,87570,91972,72570,89870,19069,00952,73241,16033,60121,489 621,454
2016 17,57345,94055,70455,73779,17776,28277,78767,89058,97148,24530,61810,218 624,142
2017 21,24828,11262,03164,57575,99283,29768,33668,70462,51555,70822,09916,214 628,831
2018 24,00037,45250,34863,37979,07480,33765,78767,57167,82043,91829,75513,701 623,142
2019 21,50432,73749,44264,30471,05976,97870,78473,91860,20356,90326,79412,417 617,043
2020 18,87434,18446,42868,15382,83778,97382,89764,03750,64446,57929,4356,088 609,129
2021 1,90516,63155,79766,67278,89967,83955,49262,51652,33342,88227,35810,283 538,607
2022 22,27537,73055,67168,62580,94978,28562,52957,54250,69450,52331,06817,816 613,707
2023 13,87932,89940,67670,31279,40482,24973,30064,97759,06453,89329,48918,042 618,184
2024 4,20424,67553,18266,02981,06779,53473,40066,54563,70849,18431,08531,086 623,699
2025 5,94944,616 50,565
Total (2013-2023)6,070,352

Maximum production was estimated at 580,000 MW·h per year.[11]

See also

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References

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  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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-13. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Energy.ca.gov: Genesis Solar Energy Project". Archived from the original on 2013-05-10. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  5. ↑ Danelski, David (April 20, 2015). "SACRIFICED FOR SOLAR: Sacred tribal area destroyed for efficiency's sake". The Press-Enterprise. Riverside, California. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Tribes want Biden to balance technology and cultural issues in renewable energy projects". www.azcentral.com. 2021-01-18.
  7. ↑ "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.
  8. ↑ Danelski, David (April 16, 2015). "SOLAR POWER: Inland plants boost state to No. 1". The Press-Enterprise. Riverside, California. Archived from the original on April 21, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  9. ↑ Kagan, Rebecca A (2014-06-23). "Avian Mortality at Solar Energy Facilities in Southern California: A Preliminary Analysis" (PDF). Palen Solar Power Project - Compliance. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-26. Retrieved 2014-12-07.
  10. 1 2 "Genesis Solar Energy Project, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Genesis Solar Energy CSP Project". Concentrating Solar Power Projects. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). October 21, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
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