Electric generating plantEIA plant no. 68524

Bishop Ranch - Br 15-Aa

Type
Solar Photovoltaic
Nameplate capacity
1.2 MW
Units
3
Operator
Alcosta Boulevard Br 15-Aa Solar Project 2020 LLC
Location
San Ramon, Contra Costa County, California
Rated 1648th largest in California · 12698th of 14,017 in the U.S. · by nameplate

Bishop Ranch - Br 15-Aa is a solar power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 1.2 MW.

The 1.2 MW is nameplate capacity: the most this plant's generators are rated to produce, not what it actually generates. EPA eGRID reports no positive net generation for it this year.

How it works

A solar farm

DCAC1panels turn light into DC current2inverters make AC3to the grid
  1. Silicon cells in each panel turn sunlight directly into direct current (DC). Nothing moves; nothing burns.
  2. Inverters convert DC into the alternating current (AC) the grid uses.
  3. A substation raises the voltage and sends it onto transmission lines.

Why the numbers look like this: panels make nothing at night and less in winter, so even a well-placed U.S. solar farm averages around a quarter of its nameplate over a year. Watch the monthly bars: they swell in summer and shrink in December.

This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.

Natural GasWindSolarBiomassBattery Storage

Location

Address12677 Alcosta Blvd
CitySan Ramon
CountyContra Costa County
StateCalifornia
ZIP94583
Coordinates37.77538, -121.96131
OperatorAlcosta Boulevard Br 15-Aa Solar Project 2020 LLC

Generators (3)

IDTechnologyFuelNameplate capacityStatusOnline
4654BBatteriesBattery0.5 MWUnder Construction—
4654CSolar PhotovoltaicSolar0.5 MWUnder Construction—
4654RSolar PhotovoltaicSolar0.2 MWUnder Construction—

Grid context

NERC RegionWECC
Balancing AuthorityCalifornia Independent System Operator

About Solar plants

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.

Other plants in Contra Costa County

View all plants in Contra Costa County →

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