Discover the Top 10 Largest Solar Farms in the United States: Are Any Near You?

There are many efforts in place these days to conserve energy. One method of harnessing energy involves solar panels. Considering that the Sun is already beating down on the Earth, it seems as though it would be a waste not to use its rays in this way. Solar panels have proven to be very useful. Many people have decided to employ these to power their homes and businesses. However, some have thought bigger and decided to use solar panels on an even larger scale. This is how solar farms came to be. So what are the 10 largest solar farms in the United States? Are any of them near you? Read on to find out!

What Is a Solar Farm?

Before going into the largest solar farms in the United States, we should be clear on what a solar farm is. Solar farms are also commonly known as solar parks and photovoltaic power stations. These are large groupings of photovoltaic solar panels that absorb the Sun’s energy and convert it to usable electricity.

Unlike the simpler solar panels that you might find on a building’s rooftop, these panels send the electricity to a power grid. From there, it’s distributed for consumption by customers all over a certain area. Typically, solar farms consist of panels that are mounted to the ground. They are not on rooftops of buildings. 

There are utility-scale solar farms and community solar farms. Utility-scale solar farms are very large, often consisting of hundreds of thousands of panels absorbing and converting energy. Community solar farms are smaller-scale facilities that provide electricity for smaller communities.

Utility-scale solar farms are not only larger, but they also typically power much larger areas. When we’re discussing the largest solar farms in the United States, we’re going to be talking about the largest utility-scale solar farms.

The 10 Largest Solar Farms in the United States

10. Mount Signal Solar

This plant in Imperial County, California, has a total capacity of 594 MW (megawatts). The farm occupies about 801 hectares of farmland and consists of over three million solar modules that rotate along with the path of the Sun. It generates enough electricity for 72,000 households.

9. Antelope Valley Solar Ranch

This solar farm in northern Los Angeles County of California has a total capacity of 230 MW. Construction was finished in February 2013. The 3.8 million panels are attached to metal racks and stay within eight feet of the ground so that they are able to resist high wind speeds. This plant is capable of generating electricity for nearly 75,000 houses.

8. California Valley Solar Ranch

This project in San Luis Obispo County of California has a capacity of 292 MW. It occupies about 4,700 acres of land in the Carrizo Plain. Only about 30% of the project site is covered by the facilities. The remainder is preserved in a conservation effort for local species. This farm produces enough electricity for nearly 100,000 homes each year.

7. Copper Mountain Solar Facility

This farm is in Boulder City, Nevada. It has a capacity of 552 MW and generates enough emission-free electricity for nearly 14,000 households. Construction started in January 2010 and was done by the end of the year. In March 2011, Renewable Energy World named this farm “Solar Project of the Year.”

6. Desert Sunlight Solar Farm

Just a few miles north of the Desert Center community, this farm has a capacity of 550 MW. Workers started construction on this project in 2011. It is an integral part of California’s efforts to generate at least 33% of its energy from renewable resources. This farm generates enough electricity to power almost 160,000 households.

5. Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project

This solar farm is located in Nye County, Nevada. It occupies over 1,600 acres of public land that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management administered. This farm, with a capacity of 110 MW, made its debut in 2011. It is the biggest solar farm that has its own energy storage technology. This plant has the capacity to generate enough power for about 75,000 households.

4. Agua Caliente Solar Project

Located in Yuma County, Arizona, this solar farm occupies what was once agricultural land on the White Wing. This is an optimal site for a solar farm, as there is an abundant supply of sunshine available. It has the capacity to generate 290 MW. The construction of this project was completed in 2014. Excellence in Renewable Energy Award named this farm “Project of the Year” in 2012. It takes up 2,400 acres of land and provides enough electricity for about 230,000 homes at peak loads.

3. Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System

This plant is in California in San Bernardino County at the base of Clark Mountain in the Mojave Desert. The plant occupies five square miles of space. It has a total capacity of 392 MW. This is unique among solar farms in that it is actually a concentrated solar thermal plant. It uses heliostats, which include two mirrors that focus the solar energy on boilers. Some individuals have criticized this plant because it disrupts animal habitats and has posed a hazard to birds who fly too close to the boiling towers. The water towers generate steam, which spins turbines that produce enough electricity to power about 140,000 households. This is the largest solar thermal power station in the world.

2. Topaz Solar Farm

Completed in California in 2015, Topaz Solar Farm occupies over 15 square kilometers of land. This farm is in Carrizo Plain of San Luis Obispo County. It produces enough power for 160,000 households and has a capacity of 580 MW. The steel columns on this farm hold the solar modules approximately five feet off of the ground. Although it occupies more land than the number one solar farm, it produces less energy.

1. Solar Star

This is not only the biggest solar farm in the country — it was the biggest in the entire world when it made its debut in 2015. This California plant has about 1.7 million solar panels in Kern and Los Angeles counties. It stretches out over 13 square kilometers, almost the size of 142 football fields.

This project consists of two sections that have capacities of 314 MW and 265 MW, totaling 579 MW. Collectively, this farm puts out enough energy to power 255,000 houses. The panels on this farm are able to create 25% more energy by moving along with a single-axis tracker that follows the trajectory of the sun.

Summary of the 10 Largest Solar Farms in the United States

Here’s a recap of the U.S.’s top 10 biggest solar farms:

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