World's Largest Solar Array Set to Crank Out 290 Megawatts of Sunshine Power

The plant comprises more than five million solar panels that span the equivalent of two Central Parks in the desert between Yuma and Phoenix. It generates 290 megawatts of poweróenough electricity to fuel 230,000 homes in neighboring California at peak capacity. Costing a total of $1.8 billion to construct, received a million-dollar loan from the Loan Programs Office.

Agua Caliente, a 290 MW photovoltaic plant in Yuma County, Arizona, was completed around April 2014 and described as the world's largest PV plant, with over five million thin-film panels covering about two Central Parks^[1][3]
Output can power about 230,000 California homes at peak; Power Technology puts it at 626.2 GWh a year for about 225,000 homes^[1][3]
Total cost was $1.8 billion, with a federal loan guarantee from the DOE Loan Programs Office (the DOE assessed a guarantee for the 290 MW project)^[1][2][3]
Owned by NRG Energy and MidAmerican, built and operated by First Solar; PG&E buys all output under a 25-year contract^[1][3]
Four years earlier the largest US solar facility produced 20 MW^[1]; extra panels help the control system compensate for cloud cover^[1]

@ThePinGang

Cost $1.8B

References 380% CONFIDENCE

The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.

[1]25%
scientificamerican.com/article/world-s-largest-solar-array-set-to-crank-out-290-megawatts-of-sunshine-power
scientificamerican.com· Posted Jun 15, 2017· Starts May 8, 2014 ✓· 0% of score
Date has passed, but scientificamerican.com does not confirm it happened then; unverified.
[2]78%
DOE/EA-1797: Agua Caliente Solar Project; Yuma County, Arizona
energy.gov· Added Sep 14, 2026· 50% of score
The Department of Energy's environmental review confirms Agua Caliente as "a 290 megawatt gross output photovoltaic solar power project" in Yuma County, Arizona, though it gives no specific construction or operational date to compare against the pin's stored 8 May 2014 date.
[3]83%
Agua Caliente Solar Project, Arizona
power-technology.com· Added Sep 14, 2026· 50% of score
Power Technology states the "Agua Caliente Solar farm is a 290MW photovoltaic (PV) power project" whose second phase "was completed in April 2014", about a month before the pin's stored 8 May 2014 date, corroborating both the 290MW figure and the general completion timeframe.

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EnergyPosted 06/15/201706/15/2017 at 5:50 am@ThePinGang To timeline

NRG Energy

Starts 05/08/2014 UNVERIFIED 80% CONFIDENCEDate has passed, but scientificamerican.com^[1] does not confirm it happened then; unverified.

Start: May 8, 201425% CONFIDENCE Low confidencefrom the source

World's Largest Solar Array Set to Crank Out 290 Megawatts of Sunshine Power

Agua Caliente, a 290 MW photovoltaic plant in Yuma County, Arizona, was completed around April 2014 and described as the world's largest PV plant, with over five million thin-film panels covering about two Central Parks^[1][3]
Output can power about 230,000 California homes at peak; Power Technology puts it at 626.2 GWh a year for about 225,000 homes^[1][3]
Total cost was $1.8 billion, with a federal loan guarantee from the DOE Loan Programs Office (the DOE assessed a guarantee for the 290 MW project)^[1][2][3]
Owned by NRG Energy and MidAmerican, built and operated by First Solar; PG&E buys all output under a 25-year contract^[1][3]
Four years earlier the largest US solar facility produced 20 MW^[1]; extra panels help the control system compensate for cloud cover^[1]

@ThePinGang

Cost $1.8B

References 380% CONFIDENCE

[1]25%
scientificamerican.com/article/world-s-largest-solar-array-set-to-crank-out-290-megawatts-of-sunshine-power
scientificamerican.com· Posted Jun 15, 2017· Starts May 8, 2014 ✓· 0% of score
Date has passed, but scientificamerican.com does not confirm it happened then; unverified.
[2]78%
DOE/EA-1797: Agua Caliente Solar Project; Yuma County, Arizona
energy.gov· Added Sep 14, 2026· 50% of score
The Department of Energy's environmental review confirms Agua Caliente as "a 290 megawatt gross output photovoltaic solar power project" in Yuma County, Arizona, though it gives no specific construction or operational date to compare against the pin's stored 8 May 2014 date.
[3]83%
Agua Caliente Solar Project, Arizona
power-technology.com· Added Sep 14, 2026· 50% of score
Power Technology states the "Agua Caliente Solar farm is a 290MW photovoltaic (PV) power project" whose second phase "was completed in April 2014", about a month before the pin's stored 8 May 2014 date, corroborating both the 290MW figure and the general completion timeframe.