Country United States Commission date May 2014 Site area 8.01 km² | Status Operational Operator(s) TerraForm Power | |
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Location Calexico, Imperial County, California Construction cost $365 million
(built by 8minutenergy Renewables) Address 32°40'24.0"N 115°38'22., I-8, Calexico, CA 92231, United States | ||
Mount signal solar top 9 facts
Mount Signal Solar is a 265.7-megawatt (MWp) photovoltaic power station in the city of Calexico, Imperial County, California, near the Mexican border. The facility was developed and constructed by 8minutenergy Renewables (based out of Folsom, California) and Abengoa, Spain. At the time of completion, it was the world's largest solar project using single-axis trackers to follow the path of the sun.
In 2014, SunEdison acquired 50% interest of Silver Ridge Power. Mount Signal Solar in now part of the company TerraForm Power, Inc, a yield co that holds SunEdison's portfolio of 808 MW of operating solar PV projects across the world. In July 2014, TerraForm Power went public.
Mount Signal Solar is one of the world's largest PV solar farms. It uses more than three million solar modules, covers an area of 801 hectares, cost about $365 million, and is expected to generate enough solar power to supply 72,000 households in San Diego and its surrounding area.
A 25-year power purchase agreement has been signed with San Diego Gas & Electric to purchase the plant's power output. It is planned to expand the solar farm in two more phases and to increase its capacity to unprecedented 800 MW (600 MWAC). The construction has been supported by several environmental groups, as the power station was built on low productivity farmland.
The Mount Signal Solar project, was formerly known as "Imperial Valley Solar 1" (IVS1) With a total of 600MWac / ~800MWdc the Mount Signal project is one of the world’s largest solar PV power plants.