2016–2020 development of Bhadla Solar Park (India) documented by satellite imagery
The following is a list of photovoltaic power stations that are larger than 500 megawatts (MW) in current net capacity.[1] Most are individual photovoltaic power stations, but some are groups of co-located plants owned by different independent power producers and with separate transformer connections to the grid. Wiki-Solar reports total global capacity of utility-scale photovoltaic plants to be some 96 GWAC which generated 1.3% of global power by the end of 2016.[2][3][4][5][6]
The size of photovoltaic power stations has increased progressively over the last decade with frequent new capacity records. The 97 MW Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant went online in 2010. Huanghe Hydropower Golmud Solar Park reached 200 MW in 2012. In August 2012, Agua Caliente Solar Project in Arizona reached 247 MW only to be passed by three larger plants in 2013. In 2014, two plants were tied as largest: Topaz Solar Farm, a PV solar plant at 550 MWAC in central coast area and a second 550-MW plant, the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm located in the far eastern desert region of California.[7][8]
These two plants were superseded by a new world's largest facility in June 2015 when the 579 MWACSolar Star project went online in the Antelope Valley region of Los Angeles County, California.[9]
Gonghe Talatan Solar Park (in Gonghe County, Qinghai, China) as the largest solar park in the world with a capacity of 8,430 to 9,000 MW and with an area of 609 km2 in area, which is close to the land area of Singapore.
As with other forms of power generation, there are important regional habitat modification problems, such as the heat island effect, and the resulting stress to local threatened species.[10] Several planned large facilities in the U.S. state of California have been downsized due in part to such concerns.[11][12]
World's largest photovoltaic power stations
Photovoltaic power station locations
The following is a list of operating solar farms that are 500 MW or larger. BloombergNEF reports that 35 projects of at least 200 MW were commissioned in 2019, up from 30 in 2018.[13]
These lists include a mixture of individual solar power plants and of groups of co-located projects, usually called solar parks.[14]
[better source needed] Numbers vary from 2.2 GW to 9.0 GW capacity. The higher number is chosen based on satellite data compared to other solar projects. Also known as Longyangxia Dam Solar Park. Not to be mistaken with the Huanghe Hydropower Golmud Solar Park, also located in Qinghai. Part of a planned 16 GW renewable project.
Phase I completed in 2013, followed by Phase II and III. Phase IV (including 250 MW PV) is under construction, as well as Phase V (first stage is completed).
Note: Power capacity in this table is given as the peak DC nameplate capacity of the panels. When this information is not available, the AC capacity after the inverter is given (identified with "*" next to the number). The AC capacity is usually significantly smaller than DC capacity, so the ranking may not be accurate for these plants. See Nominal power (photovoltaic)#Conversion from DC to AC for more information.
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