Alamosa Solar Generating Project

The Alamosa Solar Generating Plant is a 35.3 MWp (30.0 MWAC) concentrator photovoltaics (CPV) power station, the largest in the world when it was completed, in May 2012. [1] [2] It is currently the world's third largest operating CPV facility.[3] The output is being sold to Public Service of Colorado, a subsidiary of Xcel Energy, under a long term Power Purchase Agreement.[4]

Alamosa Solar Generating Plant
CountryUnited States
LocationSan Luis Valley, Mosca, Colorado
Coordinates37°35′54″N 105°57′07″W
StatusOperational
Construction beganSeptember 2011
Commission dateMay 10, 2012
Construction costUS$90.6 million
Owner(s)KEPCO
COPA Fund
Operator(s)Cogentrix Services, KEPCO of Alamosa
Solar farm
TypeCPV
Site area225 acres (91 ha)
Power generation
Units operational504 Amonix 7700
Nameplate capacity35.3 MWp, 30.0 MWAC
Capacity factor23.5% (average 2013-2018)
Annual net output61.7 GW·h, 274 MW·h/acre
External links
Websitekepcoalamosa.com
A single Amonix 7700 System
A technician engaged in field testing an Amonix 7700 System

Facility construction details

The facility consists of 504 dual-axis Amonix 7700 solar tracking systems and Solectria grid-connected 70 kW inverters.[5] Each system supports seven CPV "MegaModules" which are each rated to produce about 10 kWp. Each module contains 1,080 fresnel lenses to concentrate sunlight 500 times onto multi-junction solar cells, allowing a greater efficiency than conventional photovoltaic power plants.[6]

The facility is sited on 225 acres at an elevation of 7,500 feet in the sunny and cool San Luis Valley, along with several other solar farms. It was built by Mortenson construction and is the world's largest assembly of Amonix CPV technology.[3][7]

Ownership, funding, and operations

Construction was financed in September 2011 by a special purpose subsidiary of the Goldman Sachs Group's Cogentrix Energy Power Management with a US$90.6 million loan that is guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Energy.[8] The facility became operational less than 9 months later in April 2012. In August 2016, Cogentrix sold the project for US$35 million to Korea Electric Power Corporation and its COPA pension fund, both of which are majority held by the South Korean government.[9] [10] Cogentrix Services continues to operate and maintain the facility.

Electricity production
Generation (MW·h) of Cogentrix of Alamosa [11]
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2012 5,5286,8997,6396,5215,4645,9466,8505,3853,887 54,119
2013 4,9344,9335,0514,5356,0046,4225,6756,0435,8516,5934,7874,764 65,592
2014 4,5845,1435,9374,9895,6906,3905,1335,8995,7665,7704,8513,502 63,654
2015 3,3584,5446,1595,5044,8586,0544,1875,5615,4884,4045,0193,719 58,855
2016 4,2295,0105,3094,7025,9646,5237,1284,9135,5435,8144,9243,789 63,848
2017 2,3803,7075,1875,7266,7507,3156,3455,3104,4485,2673,3603,450 59,245
2018 3,0683,6084,6665,6556,5177,0036,1046,0945,8574,3683,6002,607 59,148
Average Annual Production (years 2013-2018)--->61,723

Comparison to flat-panel photovoltaic plants

Findings of a 2013 NREL land use report showed CPV as having the highest land-energy-density potential of any photovoltaic technology surveyed in the United States, requiring an average 2.8 acres/GW·h/yr for power plants larger than 20 MW. Flat-panel fixed and single-axis tracking plants of similar capacity typically used 3.7 and 3.3 acres/GW·h/yr, respectively.[12] Based on current energy production statistics, land use for the 225 acre Alamosa CPV project averages 3.6 acres/GW·h/yr (= 280 MW·h/acre annual production).

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See also

References
  1. Wesoff, Eric (May 15, 2012). "Biggest CPV Plant in US Now on the Grid at Alamosa". Greentech Media. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
  2. "Alamosa Solar Generating Plant, world's largest CPV up and running". alterecosystem.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-20. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  3. "List of Project Capacities". cpvconsortium.org. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
  4. "Alamosa Solar Generating Plant, world's largest CPV up and running". www.cleanenergyauthority.com. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  5. "CPV Projects - Alamosa". cpvconsortium.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
  6. "Amonix Concentrating Photovoltaic Systems" (PDF).
  7. "Mortenson - Alamosa Solar Project".
  8. "US DOE Loan Programs Office - Alamosa". Retrieved 2019-01-29.
  9. Wesoff, Eric (August 30, 2016). "Korean Utility Kepco Buys 30MW Alamosa CPV Plant for $34M". Greentech Media. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
  10. "KEPCO taps NPS-led fund to buy US solar power plant for $35 mn". www.koreaninvestors.com. Korea Economic Daily. 2016-08-30. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
  11. "Cogentrix of Alamosa, Monthly". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  12. "Land-Use Requirements for Solar Power Plants in the United States" (PDF). www.nrel.gov. 2013. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
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