97th largest plant in Oregon · 5651st nationally
Elbe Solar Center is a solar power plant in Oregon with a nameplate capacity of 10.0 MW. It generates roughly 21.8k MWh per year — enough to power about 2,074 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 25% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Elbe Solar Center |
|---|---|
| Operator | Gcl New Energy, Inc. |
| City | Madras |
| County | Jefferson County |
| State | Oregon |
| ZIP | 97741 |
| Coordinates | 44.61800, -121.20500 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELBE | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 10.0 MW | Operating | 2018 |
| NERC Region | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Pacificorp - West |
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.