Springbok Solar Farm

The Springbok Solar Farm is a 443 MWp (350 MWAC) photovoltaic power station in the northwestern Mojave Desert, near California City in eastern Kern County, California.[4] The facility was developed and constructed by 8minutenergy Renewables in three phases. It is among the country's largest PV solar farms with a capacity of about 440 MWp (350 MWAC).[3]

Springbok Solar Farm
CountryUnited States
LocationKern County, California
Coordinates35°14′24″N 117°57′36″W
StatusOperational (Units 1 & 2)
Construction began2015
Commission dateMay 2016 (Unit 1)
Sep. 2016 (Unit 2)
Owner(s)8minutenergy
Solar farm
TypeFlat-panel PV
Site area1,400 acres (567 ha)[1][2]
(Units 1&2)
Power generation
Nameplate capacity443 MWp, 350 MWAC [3]
Capacity factor31.6% (average 2017)
Annual net output717 GW·h, 500 MW·h/acre

Facility details

The project was developed by 8minutenergy, the largest independent solar power developer in the United States.[4] The three Springbok solar facilities combined generate enough clean, renewable energy to serve more than 152,000 households. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions avoided is comparable to removing nearly 150,000 cars from the road. The power from all three projects is contracted to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.[3]

Project units

The Springbok Solar Farm consists of 3 project units, or construction phases:

  • Springbok 1 Solar Project — a 137 MWdc (105 MWAC) solar power station using photovoltaics.[4] Construction on the 700 acres (280 ha) site began in 2015 and was completed in July 2016.[1][5]
  • Springbok 2 Solar Project — a 191 MWdc (155 MWAC) solar power station also using photovoltaics which was completed in September 2016 on an additional 700 acres.[4][2][6]
  • Springbok 3 Solar Project — a 115 MWdc (90 MWAC) solar power station using photovoltaics completed in July 2019.[3][7][8]

Electricity production

Springbok Solar 1 nameplate capacities: 137 MWdc, 105 MWac
annual net output: 299 GW·h (avg 2017)
capacity factor: 32.5%

Generation (MW·h) of Springbok Solar 1 [9]
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2016 35,48931,6927,50620,94817,00713,038 125,680
2017 11,86913.25824,78326,44333,72236,52733,26330,77328,67526,41816,33017,181 299,242
Average Annual Production (years 2017)299,000

Springbok Solar 2 nameplate capacities: 191 MWdc, 155 MWac
annual net output: 418 GW·h (avg 2017)
capacity factor: 30.8%

Generation (MW·h) of Springbok Solar 2 [10]
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2016 9,87227,95623,31718,047 79,192
2017 16,56518,50234,58736,90447,06250,97646,42142,94640,01936,86922,79023,977 417,618
Average Annual Production (years 2017)418,000

See also

References
  1. 8minutenergy.com: "Springbok 1 Solar Project breaks ground"
  2. 8minutenergy.com: "Power purchase agreement to develop Springbok 2 Solar Project"
  3. "8minutenergy Receives Power Purchase Agreement to Develop 90 MW-ac Springbok 3 Solar Farm" (Press release). 8minutenergy. February 1, 2017.
  4. 8minutenergy.com: Solar Projects website
  5. Table 6.3. New Utility Scale Generating Units by Operating Company, Plant, and Month, 2016, Electric Power Monthly, U.S. Energy Information Administration, October 25, 2016
  6. Over 3.4 GW of large solar parks go live across US, SeeNews Renewables, Tsvetomira Tsanova, November 3, 2016
  7. Table 6.5. Planned U.S. Electric Generating Unit Additions, September 2019, Electric Power Monthly, U.S. Energy Information Administration, October 25, 2016
  8. Table 6.3. New Utility Scale Generating Units by Operating Company, Plant, and Month, 2019, Electric Power Monthly, U.S. Energy Information Administration, September 24, 2019
  9. "Springbok Solar 1, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  10. "Springbok Solar 2, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved January 31, 2019.


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