380th largest plant in California · 3439th nationally
Hecate Energy Beacon Solar 1 is a solar power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 56.0 MW. It generates roughly 134.9k MWh per year — enough to power about 12,851 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 28% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Hecate Energy Beacon Solar 1 |
|---|---|
| Operator | Aes Distributed Energy |
| City | Cantil |
| County | Kern County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 93519 |
| Coordinates | 35.26944, -118.01444 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEAC1 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 56.0 MW | Operating | 2017 |
| NERC Region | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Los Angeles Department Of Water And Power |
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.