1114th largest plant in California · 8803rd nationally
Butte College Main Campus Solar is a solar power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 3.5 MW. It generates roughly 6.7k MWh per year — enough to power about 635 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 22% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Butte College Main Campus Solar |
|---|---|
| Operator | Butte-Glenn Community College District |
| City | Oroville |
| County | Butte County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 95965 |
| Coordinates | 39.64806, -121.64417 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOL1 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 3.5 MW | Operating | 2011 |
| NERC Region | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | California Independent System Operator |
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.