195th largest plant in California · 2073rd nationally
Ivanpah 3 is a solar power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 133 MW. It generates roughly 170.0k MWh per year — enough to power about 16,187 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 15% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 103 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 (133 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 | Ivanpah 3 |
|---|---|
| Operator | Nrg Energy Services |
| City | Nipton |
| County | San Bernardino County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 92364 |
| Coordinates | 35.58083, -115.48250 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST1 | Solar Thermal without Energy Storage | Solar | 133 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar Partners Viii Llc | Oakland, CA | 10000.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 8.8k metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 1 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 103 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 | 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.