For decades now, governments and individuals alike have made it a point to explore alternative sources of energy. As a result of its renewable nature, solar energy has become prevalent in recent decades, with the solar panels that help generate it also having evolved remarkably. While many homeowners have implemented this technology on a small scale, such as by adding solar panels to their roofs for power, some states have taken it upon themselves to build massive solar farms to harvest even more energy from the sun.
California is home to a huge solar panel farm known as Topaz Solar Farm. The installation, which completed its years-long construction in 2014, covers 4,700 acres, making it the largest solar farm in the state and one of the largest solar farms currently in operation if measured by acreage. It generates a good amount of power, too, delivering approximately 550 megawatts of energy, enough electricity to power more than 180,000 average California households. Topaz has an agreement with the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which sells the energy that it harnesses. But while Topaz Solar Farm is undeniably impressive, we shouldn’t overlook its contemporaries either.
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Some of California’s other solar farms are impressive, too
Solar panels underneath the sun. – Cavan Images/Getty Images
California has proven to be a fruitful location for solar farms, given its size and ample sunlight. Topaz Solar Farm is currently the installation that covers the most land, though it’s far from the only notable installation. For instance, the Solar Star Projects, constructed between 2013 and 2015 in Rosamond, California, also stand as one of the largest in the U.S. The two installations, Solar Star-1 and Solar Star-2, cover approximately 3,200 acres of land. They boast capacities of 314 and 265 megawatts, respectively, for a total of 579 megawatts. That’s enough energy to power approximately 255,000 homes, with Southern California Edison purchasing this stored power and distributing it to its customers.
Also worth highlighting is the Edwards & Sanborn project, which delivers both in terms of physical size and energy production. The Kern County, California-based solar farm comes close to Topaz at 4,600 acres, though it blows it out of the water on the energy front with a capacity of 875 megawatts. Given that much energy, it’s no surprise that the project provides it to numerous clients, including Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison, the city of San Jose, the Clean Power Alliance, and even Starbucks. The latter isn’t too surprising, considering it’s also linked up with Mercedes to place EV chargers at Starbucks locations.
The search for the perfect clean energy source is far from over, though solar remains at the forefront. These California solar farms, and others in the U.S. and around the world, are evidence of its enduring appeal.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
