Electric generating plantEIA plant no. 69016

Pivot Solar 34

Type
Solar Photovoltaic
Nameplate capacity
4.5 MW
Units
1
Operator
Pivot Energy
Location
Longmont, Boulder County, Colorado
Rated 160th largest in Colorado · 8435th of 14,017 in the U.S. · by nameplate

Pivot Solar 34 is a solar power plant in Colorado with a nameplate capacity of 4.5 MW.

The 4.5 MW is nameplate capacity: the most this plant's generators are rated to produce, not what it actually generates. EPA eGRID reports no positive net generation for it this year.

How it works

A solar farm

DCAC1panels turn light into DC current2inverters make AC3to the grid
  1. Silicon cells in each panel turn sunlight directly into direct current (DC). Nothing moves; nothing burns.
  2. Inverters convert DC into the alternating current (AC) the grid uses.
  3. A substation raises the voltage and sends it onto transmission lines.

Why the numbers look like this: panels make nothing at night and less in winter, so even a well-placed U.S. solar farm averages around a quarter of its nameplate over a year. Watch the monthly bars: they swell in summer and shrink in December.

This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.

Natural GasHydroelectricSolarBiomassBattery Storage

Location

Address5980 N 79th St.
CityLongmont
CountyBoulder County
StateColorado
ZIP80503
Coordinates40.08224, -105.16688
OperatorPivot Energy

Generators (1)

IDTechnologyFuelNameplate capacityStatusOnline
PI34Solar PhotovoltaicSolar4.5 MWUnder Construction—

Grid context

NERC RegionWECC
Balancing AuthorityWestern Area Power Administration - Rocky Mountain Region

About Solar plants

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.

Other plants in Boulder County

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