1106th largest plant in California · 8730th nationally
Sierra Pacific Chinese Camp is a solar power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 3.6 MW. It generates roughly 4.9k MWh per year — enough to power about 466 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 16% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Sierra Pacific Chinese Camp |
|---|---|
| Operator | Sierra Pacific Industries |
| City | Chinese Camp |
| County | Tuolumne County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 95309 |
| Coordinates | 37.88339, -120.45443 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN 1 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 3.6 MW | Operating | 2022 |
| 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.