253rd largest plant in Iowa · 10231st nationally
Ia - City Of Ames - Airport Road is a solar power plant in Iowa with a nameplate capacity of 2.0 MW. It generates roughly 3.1k MWh per year — enough to power about 298 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 18% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Ia - City Of Ames - Airport Road |
|---|---|
| Operator | Forefront Power, Llc |
| City | Ames |
| County | Story County |
| State | Iowa |
| ZIP | 50010 |
| Coordinates | 42.00300, -93.61700 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17000 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 2.0 MW | Operating | 2020 |
| NERC Region | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
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.