57th largest plant in North Carolina · 2992nd nationally
Rutherford Farm is a solar power plant in North Carolina with a nameplate capacity of 74.8 MW. It generates roughly 136.2k MWh per year — enough to power about 12,974 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 21% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Rutherford Farm |
|---|---|
| Operator | Southern Power Co |
| City | Forest City |
| County | Rutherford County |
| State | North Carolina |
| ZIP | 28043 |
| Coordinates | 35.25778, -81.83056 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PV1 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 74.8 MW | Operating | 2016 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Rutherford Farm, Llc | Atlanta, GA | 10000.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Duke Energy Carolinas |
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.