187th largest plant in California · 2025th nationally
Panoche Valley Solar Farm is a solar power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 140 MW. It generates roughly 315.9k MWh per year — enough to power about 30,089 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 26% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Panoche Valley Solar Farm |
|---|---|
| Operator | Consolidated Edison Development Inc. |
| City | Paicines |
| County | San Benito County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 95053 |
| Coordinates | 36.62700, -120.87900 |
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 | 140 MW | Operating | 2018 |
| 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.