27th largest plant in New Mexico · 1746th nationally
Buena Vista Energy Center is a solar power plant in New Mexico with a nameplate capacity of 170 MW. It generates roughly 266.4k MWh per year — enough to power about 25,368 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 18% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Buena Vista Energy Center |
|---|---|
| Operator | Buena Vista Energy Center, Llc |
| City | Chaparral |
| County | Otero County |
| State | New Mexico |
| ZIP | 88081 |
| Coordinates | 32.06659, -106.28530 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BVEC1 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 120 MW | Operating | 2023 |
| BESS1 | Batteries | Battery | 50.0 MW | Operating | 2023 |
| NERC Region | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | El Paso Electric Company |
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.