63rd largest plant in California · 985th nationally
Solar Star 1 is a solar power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 318 MW. It generates roughly 844.4k MWh per year — enough to power about 80,421 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 30% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Solar Star 1 |
|---|---|
| Operator | Solar Star California Xix, Llc |
| City | Rosamond |
| County | Kern County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 93560 |
| Coordinates | 34.81810, -118.40360 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS16 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 64.5 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| SS13 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 58.5 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| SS11 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 54.0 MW | Operating | 2015 |
| SS12 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 54.0 MW | Operating | 2015 |
| AVS1 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 39.0 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| SS14 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 33.0 MW | Operating | 2015 |
| SS15 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 15.0 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| 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.