45th largest plant in Arizona · 1746th nationally
Mesquite Solar 1 is a solar power plant in Arizona with a nameplate capacity of 170 MW. It generates roughly 403.9k MWh per year — enough to power about 38,467 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 27% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Mesquite Solar 1 |
|---|---|
| Operator | Consolidated Edison Development Inc. |
| City | Tonopah |
| County | Maricopa County |
| State | Arizona |
| ZIP | 85354 |
| Coordinates | 33.34183, -112.90403 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 16.0 MW | Operating | 2011 |
| 11 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 16.0 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| 12 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 16.0 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| 2 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 16.0 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| 4 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 16.0 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| 5 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 16.0 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| 7 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 16.0 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| 9 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 16.0 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| 10 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 12.0 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| 8 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 12.0 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| 3 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 10.0 MW | Operating | 2011 |
| 6 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 8.0 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| 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.