Three Cedars Solar Project
Three Cedars Solar Project is a 210 MWAC (265 MWp) photovoltaic power station consisting of three units extending about 15 miles northwest of Cedar City, Utah. The project was developed by SunEdison, built with its global team of partners, and commissioned in September 2016. The electricity and renewable energy credits are being sold to Rocky Mountain Power under three separate 20-year power purchase agreements.
| Three Cedars Solar Project | |
|---|---|
 Iron Springs Unit | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Iron County |
| Coordinates | 37°43′16″N 113°09′06″W / 37.72111°N 113.15167°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | September 2015 |
| Commission date | September 2016 |
| Construction cost | $400 million |
| Owner | Dominion Renewable Energy |
| Operator | Swinerton Renewable Energy |
| Solar farm | |
| Type | Flat-panel PV single-axis tracking |
| Site area | 1,600 acres (6.47 km2) |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 265 MWp, 210 MWAC |
| Capacity factor | 29.5% (average 2017-2019) |
| Annual net output | 543 GW·h, 340 MW·h/acre |
| External links | |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
Three Cedars Solar Project is a 210 MWAC (265 MWp) photovoltaic power station consisting of three units extending about 15 miles northwest of Cedar City, Utah. The project was developed by SunEdison, built with its global team of partners, and commissioned in September 2016.[1] The electricity and renewable energy credits are being sold to Rocky Mountain Power under three separate 20-year power purchase agreements.[2][3]
Project details
[edit]The project consists of three separate units distributed on private land along the headwaters of Iron Springs Creek at a sunny and cool elevation near 6,000 feet.[4][5]
| Unit | Capacity MWAC |
Complete Date |
Coordinates | Site Area (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Springs | 80 MW | July 2016 | 37°43′16″N 113°09′06″W / 37.72111°N 113.15167°W | 600 acres |
| Granite Mountain East | 80 MW | October 2016 | 37°46′30″N 113°13′35″W / 37.77500°N 113.22639°W | 600 acres |
| Granite Mountain West | 50.4 MW | October 2016 | 37°47′08″N 113°16′43″W / 37.78556°N 113.27861°W | 400 acres |
Planning was initiated by the independent renewable energy developer First Wind (founded 2002) which began expanding into photovoltaic energy around 2012.[6] First Wind and its extensive portfolio of assets in western Utah were acquired by SunEdison and its TerraForm Power yield co in November 2014.[7] Beginning construction at the time was the 20.2 MW Seven Sisters Project, a dispersed set of ~3 MW facilities throughout Beaver and Iron counties.[8][9]
To finance the construction of Three Cedars, SunEdison entered into a joint venture with Dominion Resources. The resulting entity, Dominion Renewable Energy, utilized $80 million from SunEdison and $320 million from Dominion to start construction in September 2015.[2] The two companies also previously entered a joint venture to construct the 320 MW Four Brothers Project, which includes the three co-located 80 MW Escalante units in Beaver County and the 80 MW Enterprise unit in Iron County, on about the same timeline.[10]
Construction of Three Cedars progressed simultaneously at all three sites, created an estimated 250 local construction jobs, and was completed by October 2016.[1][4] Along with the electricity to power more than 36,000 homes, it is expected to produce $17 million in property and income taxes for the region over 20 years.[2][5] The project is operated and maintained by Swinerton Renewable Energy.[11]
SunEdison filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 21, 2016, but was able to complete the project on time with its receipt of $300 million in bankruptcy debt financing.[12] On September 13, 2016, the company was forced to sell its stake in the completed facilities in a fire sale. NRG Energy was the successful bidder.[13]
Electricity production
[edit]| Year | Total Annual MW·h |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 196,000 |
| 2017 | 548,663 |
| 2018 | 543,454 |
| 2019 | 537,739 |
| Average (2017–2019) | 543,285 |
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 15,990 | 22,101 | 20,386 | 19,179 | 15,630 | 12,391 | 8,799 | 114,476 | |||||
| 2017 | 8,564 | 12,655 | 18,952 | 20,815 | 24,809 | 27,123 | 20,208 | 19,367 | 17,312 | 18,209 | 12,527 | 11,465 | 212,005 |
| 2018 | 10,987 | 12,921 | 16,708 | 20,249 | 23,334 | 25,076 | 21,857 | 21,822 | 20,974 | 15,640 | 12,892 | 9,334 | 211,796 |
| 2019 | 10,829 | 11,411 | 16,999 | 20,012 | 21,305 | 23,964 | 22,683 | 23,091 | 19,061 | 18,736 | 11,645 | 8,488 | 208,224 |
| Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) : | 210,675 | ||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 12,633 | 9,216 | 13,374 | 12,138 | 8,436 | 55,797 | |||||||
| 2017 | 8,430 | 12,457 | 18,656 | 20,489 | 24,421 | 26,699 | 19,891 | 19,064 | 17,041 | 17,924 | 12,331 | 11,285 | 208,687 |
| 2018 | 10,795 | 12,695 | 16,416 | 19,895 | 22,926 | 24,638 | 21,475 | 21,441 | 20,607 | 15,366 | 12,666 | 9,171 | 208,091 |
| 2019 | 10,614 | 11,184 | 16,660 | 19,613 | 20,881 | 23,487 | 22,231 | 22,631 | 18,681 | 18,363 | 11,413 | 8,319 | 204,075 |
| Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) : | 206,951 | ||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3,176 | 6,217 | 3,441 | 7,452 | 5,441 | 25,727 | |||||||
| 2017 | 5,169 | 7,639 | 11,440 | 12,564 | 14,975 | 16,372 | 12,198 | 11,690 | 10,450 | 10,991 | 7,561 | 6,920 | 127,971 |
| 2018 | 6,410 | 7,538 | 9,748 | 11,814 | 13,614 | 14,630 | 12,752 | 12,732 | 12,237 | 9,125 | 7,522 | 5,446 | 123,567 |
| 2019 | 6,524 | 6,874 | 10,241 | 12,056 | 12,835 | 14,437 | 13,665 | 13,911 | 11,483 | 11,287 | 7,015 | 5,113 | 125,440 |
| Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) : | 125,659 | ||||||||||||
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "530 MW-AC of solar projects come online in Utah". pv-magazine-usa.com. November 3, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ a b c "SunEdison, Dominion Partner on 265 Megawatt, Three Cedars Solar Project in Utah". PR Newswire. September 8, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "EIA Electricity Data Browser - Utah". eia.gov. US Energy Information Administration. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- ^ a b "Utah Solar Projects". Dominion Energy. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Brian Maffly (December 11, 2015). "Utah's first utility-scale solar goes online". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "First Wind, Rocky Mountain Power Agree PPA for 'Four Brothers' Solar Development". solarbuildermag.com. June 19, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ "SunEdison, TerraForm Buy First Wind for $2.4B to Become Renewable Project Giant". greentechmedia.com. November 17, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ "SunEdison Breaks Ground On 22.6 MW Seven Sisters Solar Power Plants In Utah". April 8, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ "Seven Sisters Projects Come to Stellar Completion". November 13, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ "SunEdison Partners with Dominion for 420-MW "Four Brothers" PV Project in Utah". energytrend.com. August 13, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ "Swinerton Renewable Energy - Projects". Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ^ Bomey, Nathan (April 21, 2016). "SunEdison files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ "NRG snatches up 2.1 GW of SunEdison projects". pv-magazine-usa.com. September 13, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ "Iron Springs Solar, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
- ^ "Granite Mountain Solar East, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
- ^ "Granite Mountain Solar West, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Three Cedars Solar Project at Wikimedia Commons
