1449th largest plant in California · 11524th nationally
Gilead Foster City Solar Project is a solar power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 1.6 MW. It generates roughly 1.5k MWh per year — enough to power about 140 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 11% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Gilead Foster City Solar Project |
|---|---|
| Operator | Gilead Sciences Inc. Foster City |
| City | Foster City |
| County | San Mateo County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 94404 |
| Coordinates | 37.56860, -122.27797 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GFCS1 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 0.9 MW | Operating | 2021 |
| GFCSB | Batteries | Battery | 0.5 MW | Operating | 2021 |
| GFCS2 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 0.2 MW | Operating | 2021 |
| 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.