705th largest plant in North Carolina · 9135th nationally
Cottonwood Solar, Llc is a solar power plant in North Carolina with a nameplate capacity of 3.0 MW. It generates roughly 4.5k MWh per year — enough to power about 429 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 17% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Cottonwood Solar, Llc |
|---|---|
| Operator | Cardinal Renewables |
| City | Garysburg |
| County | Northampton County |
| State | North Carolina |
| ZIP | 27831 |
| Coordinates | 36.50806, -77.61444 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCCWD | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 3.0 MW | Operating | 2018 |
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Pjm Interconnection, Llc |
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.