138th largest plant in North Carolina · 4986th nationally
Apple Data Center Pv3 is a solar power plant in North Carolina with a nameplate capacity of 17.5 MW. It generates roughly 30.3k MWh per year — enough to power about 2,882 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 20% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Apple Data Center Pv3 |
|---|---|
| Operator | Apple, Inc |
| City | Conover |
| County | Catawba County |
| State | North Carolina |
| ZIP | 28613 |
| Coordinates | 35.71500, -81.15000 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCPV3 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 17.5 MW | Operating | 2015 |
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Duke Energy Carolinas |
Utility-scale solar farms convert sunlight directly into electricity using photovoltaic panels. They produce zero direct emissions and have no fuel cost, but generation is variable — peaking at midday and falling to zero at night. Capacity factors typically run 18–28% in good locations.