The Questa Solar Facility is a 1.17 MWp (1.0 MWAC) concentrator photovoltaics (CPV) power station in Questa, New Mexico. Upon its completion in late 2010, it was one of the largest CPV facilities in the world, and the first utility-scale installation of Concentrix Solar technology in the United States. Annual electricity production is expected to average about 2.1 GW·h, and is being sold to the Kit Carson Electric Cooperative under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
Facility details
The facility was built by Chevron Technology Ventures on a reclaimed site previously used for the collection and storage of molybdenum mine tailings. It consists of 173 dual-axis-tracking CX-P6 systems, each of which supports 90 CX-75 CPV modules. Each module contains 200 Fresnel lens to concentrate sunlight 500 times onto multijunction photovoltaic cells. These features enable higher efficiencies - about 40% for cells and 27% for modules - than other photovoltaic technologies.
Each of the 173 trackers has its own grid-connected inverter, which also serves as the control system of the mechanical tracking and as the communication port with its own IP address. The inverter technology was developed by Fraunhofer ISE in cooperation with Concentrix Solar and has an efficiency of 96%. For control and monitoring, the facility also includes DNI sensors, GNI sensors and wind sensors. A detailed analysis of the system and power plant performance can be made based on data that is taken at one-minute intervals.
Electricity production
+Generation (MW·h) of Questa Solar FacilityYearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal2011 129 135 170 173 193 156 162 158 148 157 133 113 1,8272012 169 171 216 202 232 213 224 187 188 203 170 242 2,4172013 129 139 177 169 191 182 179 175 168 185 137 131 1,9632014 93 90 112 108 202 448 372 365 329 349 264 215 2,9492015 100 133 156 182 192 180 171 177 154 129 119 107 1,7982016 64 77 96 98 108 98 104 130 156 190 170 142 1,4332017 82 122 175 188 203 193 184 172 153 157 113 99 1,8402018 101 119 154 186 215 231 201 201 193 144 119 86 1,9472019 88 93 138 163 173 195 185 188 155 153 95 69 1,6952020 78 82 93 130 145 136 133 126 111 106 85 78 1,302Average Annual Production for years 2011-2020 ---> 1,917
See also
Alamosa Solar Generating Project Hatch Solar Energy Center Newberry Springs CPV Power Plant List of photovoltaic power stations Renewable energy in the United States Solar power in New Mexico Solar power in the United States
External links VIDEO: Soitec CPV Solar Power Plant near Taos, NM VIDEO: Chevron Builds Solar Field in New Mexico Field Experience Of Concentrix Solar's CPV Systems In Different Climatic Conditions
References