1157th largest plant in California · 9135th nationally
Ameresco Santa Cruz Energy is a biomass power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 3.0 MW. It generates roughly 18.8k MWh per year — enough to power about 1,788 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 71% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time.
| Plant Name | Ameresco Santa Cruz Energy |
|---|---|
| Operator | Ameresco Santa Cruz Energy Llc |
| City | Watsonville |
| County | Santa Cruz County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 95076 |
| Coordinates | 36.91780, -121.81560 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit1 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 1.0 MW | Operating | 2006 |
| Unit2 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 1.0 MW | Operating | 2006 |
| Unit3 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 1.0 MW | Operating | 2006 |
| SO₂ | 4 metric tons |
|---|
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| NERC Region | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | California Independent System Operator |
Biomass plants burn wood, agricultural waste, or methane from landfills to generate steam and electricity. They are considered carbon-neutral over long timescales when fuel is sustainably sourced, but they produce particulate emissions similar to coal.