The
Mesquite Solar project is a 512.5-
megawatt (MW
AC )
photovoltaic power plant in
Arlington ,
Maricopa County ,
Arizona , owned by
Sempra Generation and Consolidated Edison Development Inc. The first three phases of the project were constructed using more than 2.1 million
crystalline silicon solar panels made by
Suntech Power . Mesquite 4 and 5 added another 112.5 MW and 70 MW of battery storage.
Project details
Construction of Phase 1 over a 3.6 km site adjacent the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station began in 2011 and was completed in January 2013. It has a nameplate capacity of 150 megawatts (MW) that is contracted through a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). The EPC contractor was Zachry Holdings. Phase 1 cost about $600 million, is projected to generate more than 350 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually (an average of about 40 MW), and will offset roughly 200,000 tons of carbon emissions each year.
Mesquite Solar One (August 2012)
Phase 2 (100MW) and Phase 3 (150MW) were both completed in December 2016. The panels are mounted on single-axis trackers to increase electricity production.
Mesquite 4 is a 52.5 MW solar farm with 10 MW of batteries. Mesquite 5 is a 60 MW solar farm with 60 MW of batteries. Mesquite 4 came online in January 2024 while Mesquite 5 came online in July 2023.
Electricity production
Total Facility Generation (Annual Sum from All Units Below)
Year
Total Annual MW·h
2011
2,956
2012
233,105
2013
413,611
2014
408,218
2015
397,599
2016
442,565
2017
1,145,231
2018
1,145,816
2019
1,109,029
Average (2017–2019)
1,133,359
Generation (MW·h ) of Mesquite Solar 1 (150MW)
Year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Total
2011
1,711
1,245
2,956
2012
6,830
8,261
10,848
14,729
20,300
20,717
22,784
26,070
25,060
27,809
25,008
24,689
233,105
2013
26,897
31,203
35,698
37,963
39,751
39,487
38,113
36,261
35,489
38,806
27,362
26,581
413,611
2014
29,466
28,570
39,157
40,084
42,765
40,304
37,138
35,717
34,451
32,627
27,236
20,703
408,218
2015
20,029
30,905
37,089
40,474
40,419
37,689
35,962
36,967
33,285
31,139
29,199
24,442
397,599
2016
23,919
32,350
36,412
37,321
42,442
39,309
38,869
38,069
33,660
34,753
28,321
22,825
408,250
2017
18,968
23,127
39,542
43,048
45,896
51,628
31,943
39,425
40,513
37,184
22,096
20,363
413,734
2018
23,598
25,234
32,580
38,786
48,925
47,774
42,202
42,713
41,106
29,406
25,482
17,198
415,004
2019
21,519
21,215
33,843
40,244
42,179
47,752
42,113
45,612
36,747
37,825
21,338
16,959
407,345
Generation (MW·h ) of Mesquite Solar 2 (100MW with tracking)
Year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Total
2016
13,255
13,255
2017
15,016
16,794
26,698
29,176
31,992
32,486
29,490
28,681
26,392
23,857
15,275
15,040
290,897
2018
17,201
18,569
24,484
28,562
32,739
31,729
29,461
29,075
26,015
16,891
15,900
14,396
285,023
2019
16,090
14,280
19,916
21,340
22,983
30,941
29,656
29,898
23,634
23,723
13,615
9,971
256,047
Generation (MW·h ) of Mesquite Solar 3 (150MW with tracking)
Year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Total
2016
21,060
21,060
2017
22,673
25,705
40,558
43,985
48,952
49,978
44,174
43,447
39,846
35,670
23,425
22,187
440,600
2018
25,678
28,450
38,984
43,517
50,609
48,203
44,817
44,342
39,830
31,777
27,684
21,898
445,789
2019
25,460
26,613
38,070
43,410
47,869
48,938
45,483
45,652
39,165
39,109
25,772
20,096
445,637
See also
References
^ Wesoff, Eric (February 3, 2011). "Suntech to Supply 800,000 PV Panels for Sempra's Mesquite 1" . Greentech Media . Retrieved 2011-02-06 .
^ Woody, Todd (February 4, 2011). "Arizona Solar Plant Picks Chinese Supplier" . The New York Times . Retrieved 2011-02-06 .
^ "Sempra Generation Mesquite Solar Phase 1" . Retrieved 2018-12-31 .
^ Sempra Completes first phase of Mesquite Solar Project
^ "Sempra Generation Contracts With PG&E for 150 MW of Solar Power" . CNNMoney.com . October 12, 2010. Retrieved 2013-04-25 .
^ "Sempra Generation Selects Suntech and Zachry for Landmark Arizona Solar Power Plant" . Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. February 3, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-06 .
^ Goossens, Ehren (February 3, 2011). "Sempra Buying Suntech Panels for 150-Megawatt Solar Project" . Bloomberg.com . Retrieved 2011-02-06 . Scott Crider, a Sempra Generation spokesman, would not give a price for the Mesquite project. Photovoltaic "projects can range from $3.5 to $5.5 million per megawatt, that's the general industry standard," he said in an interview.
^ "Sempra Generation Mesquite Solar Phase 2" . Retrieved 2018-12-31 .
^ "Sempra Generation Mesquite Solar Phase 3" . Retrieved 2018-12-31 .
^ Table 6.3. New Utility Scale Generating Units by Operating Company, Plant, Month, and Year , Electric Power Monthly, U.S. Energy Information Administration, February 24, 2017
^ "Table 6.3. New Utility Scale Generating Units by Operating Company, Plant, and Month, 2023, Electric Power Monthly, U.S. Energy Information Administration, February, 2024" . Retrieved May 19, 2024 .
^ "Mesquite Solar 1, Monthly" . Electricity Data Browser . Energy Information Administration . Retrieved March 5, 2020 .
^ "Mesquite Solar 2, Monthly" . Electricity Data Browser . Energy Information Administration . Retrieved March 5, 2020 .
^ "Mesquite Solar 3, Monthly" . Electricity Data Browser . Energy Information Administration . Retrieved March 5, 2020 .
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