139th largest plant in California · 1714th nationally
Centinela Solar Energy is a solar power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 175 MW. It generates roughly 491.6k MWh per year — enough to power about 46,818 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 32% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Centinela Solar Energy |
|---|---|
| Operator | Arevon Energy, Inc. |
| City | Calexico |
| County | Imperial County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 92231 |
| Coordinates | 32.68694, -115.64778 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSE1 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 34.2 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| CSE3 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 34.2 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| CSE4 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 34.2 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| CSE2 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 26.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| CSE6 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 26.6 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| CSE5 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 19.0 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| 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.