What's to see SOLAR in sunny San Diego?

[darinf]

In Oceanside, the Oceanside Waste Water Treatment plant has a big solar array:
https://goo.gl/maps/3CtGRrfFMcq

You can see it from the cul-de-sac.

SDG1457_8629F.jpg

SDG1571_9524P.jpg

[bvmm]

Thanks for these tips. I found this map (link below) of two El Centro sites from Tenaska. Google maps shows the upper site in the early days: ground cleared and what appear to be enclosures for the inverters.(https://www.google.ca/maps/@32.77422.../data=!3m1!1e3)

130MW of peak production in sunny CA - wahoo!

With a couple of million panels or more panels, it would be interesting to see how frequently they have a panel fail.

[SunEagle]

After watching a few of the Tenaska videos they mentioned there were over 2 MILLION panels in the south farm which is 130MW. The west farm, off interstate 8 is 150MW so my guess of possibly millions of panels was pretty good. It's an amazing sight.

Believe or not but there are many more large (>50MW) solar arrays in southern CA & NV with many more planned.

[littleharbor]

After watching a few of the Tenaska videos they mentioned there were over 2 MILLION panels in the south farm which is 130MW. The west farm, off interstate 8 is 150MW so my guess of possibly millions of panels was pretty good. It's an amazing sight.

[J.P.M.]

A little out of the way but, If you are traveling east on Interstate 8 there is a HUGE new solar farm just outside of El Centro. I tried to find info online about this installation but came up empty. Have been watching the progress for about the last year and now they look to be online or very close anyway. All I can say is at one elevated point on the highway it looks like a vast sea of solar modules, possibly in the millions, well hundreds of thousands anyway.

Similarly, between about 2-4 miles (a big array !) north of I-10 at a wide spot in the road quite aptly called Desert Center, a big solar generating station. Or, on the way to Vegas on I-15, close to the CA-NV line, the Ivanpah power towers. Very impressive if the sun is shining. Some problems on startup that initially made it look like some of the turkey vultures it fried. Doing better now, but still a ways to go to meet expectations. Or, along I-10 at/around Banning going into the Coachella Valley on the way to Palm Springs. 1,200 or so wind turbines spread across the landscape. Not so positively impressing is the idea that the combined annual output of every wind turbine you will see there does not equal that of a moderate to large conventional power plant. I'm a fan of R.E., but some perspective on capabilities and limitations can add a sobering reality.

[littleharbor]

They be makin' a lot of electricity.

[SunEagle]

A little out of the way but, If you are traveling east on Interstate 8 there is a HUGE new solar farm just outside of El Centro. I tried to find info online about this installation but came up empty. Have been watching the progress for about the last year and now they look to be online or very close anyway. All I can say is at one elevated point on the highway it looks like a vast sea of solar modules, possibly in the millions, well hundreds of thousands anyway.

There are at least 2 large solar arrays just West of El Centro along Interstate 8. One is the Tenaska Imperial West 150MW farm and the other is called Camp Verde with 139MW array.

Also South of El Centro along the Mexican boarder there are at least 3 big arrays. The Centinela 170MW farm, Mount Signal 232MW farm and Tenask Imperial 130MW farm.

[littleharbor]

A little out of the way but, If you are traveling east on Interstate 8 there is a HUGE new solar farm just outside of El Centro. I tried to find info online about this installation but came up empty. Have been watching the progress for about the last year and now they look to be online or very close anyway. All I can say is at one elevated point on the highway it looks like a vast sea of solar modules, possibly in the millions, well hundreds of thousands anyway.

[inetdog]

FWIW, a lot of the Google shots are quite recent, some from Jan., 2016. Also, the street views aare mostly date stamped.

One thing that I really love is the ability in Google Earth to go back in time to earlier views of the same area, even going back into aerial photography surveys. Both shows what was there then and how the mapping technology has improved.

[J.P.M.]

I agree but unfortunately the satellite pictures shown by Google may be over a year old so you will not see any new installations.

FWIW, a lot of the Google shots are quite recent, some from Jan., 2016. Also, the street views aare mostly date stamped.

[SunEagle]

Google pictures here in NW IL date to Aug 2013. Bruce Roe

I believe that some place have pictures older than that. I guess it depends on how important that part of the US gets viewed for Google to update the data.

[bcroe]

I agree but unfortunately the satellite pictures shown by Google may be over a year old so you will not see any new installations.

Google pictures here in NW IL date to Aug 2013. Bruce Roe

[SunEagle]

Google Earth is a pretty interesting way to find arrays in a particular area. Saves gas too!

I agree but unfortunately the satellite pictures shown by Google may be over a year old so you will not see any new installations.

[bvmm]

I agree - Google is a great tool for finding rooftop solar. In my browsing, the likelihood of San Diego rooftop solar appeared to go up with the apparent wealth of the house (large property and large modern house). Is there any concentrating solar power in the area?

[DanS26]

Google Earth is a pretty interesting way to find arrays in a particular area. Saves gas too!