384th largest plant in California · 3447th nationally
Desert View Power is a biomass power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 55.5 MW. It generates roughly 201.9k MWh per year — enough to power about 19,229 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 42% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 35 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits below the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (55.5 MW nameplate × hours in the month). Filled bars are actual net generation reported to EIA Form 923. The gap between them is capacity factor made visible.
| Plant Name | Desert View Power |
|---|---|
| Operator | Desert View Power Inc |
| City | Mecca |
| County | Riverside County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 92254 |
| Coordinates | 33.58600, -116.08730 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN1 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Wood/Wood Waste | 55.5 MW | Retired | 1991 |
| CO₂ | 3.6k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 44 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 136 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 35 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| NERC Region | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Imperial Irrigation District |
Biomass plants burn wood, agricultural waste, or methane from landfills to generate steam and electricity. They are considered carbon-neutral over long timescales when fuel is sustainably sourced, but they produce particulate emissions similar to coal.