| Solar Energy Generating Systems | |
|---|---|
 Part of the 354 MW SEGS solar complex in northern San Bernardino County, California. | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Mojave Desert |
| Coordinates | 35°01′54″N 117°20′53″W / 35.0316°N 117.348°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1983 |
| Commission date | 1984 |
| Owner(s) | NextEra Energy Resources |
| Solar farm | |
| Type | CSP |
| CSP technology | Parabolic trough |
| Collectors | 936,384 |
| Site resource | 2,725 kWh/m2/yr |
| Site area | 1,600 acres (647.5 ha) |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 2 |
| Units decommissioned | 7 |
| Nameplate capacity | 160 MW |
| Capacity factor | 19.2% |
| Annual net output | 539 GW·h (2015) |
Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) is a concentrated solar power plant in California, United States. With the combined capacity from three separate locations at 354 megawatt (MW), it was for thirty years the world's largest solar thermal energy generating facility, until the commissioning of the even larger Ivanpah facility in 2014. It was also for thirty years the world's largest solar generating facility of any type of technology, until the commissioning of the photovoltaic Topaz Solar Farm in 2014. It consisted of nine solar power plants in California's Mojave Desert, where insolation is among the best available in the United States.
SEGS I–II (44 MW) were located at Daggett (34°51′45″N 116°49′45″W / 34.86250°N 116.82917°W); they have been replaced with a solar photovoltaic farm.
SEGS III–VII (150 MW) were installed at Kramer Junction (35°00′43″N 117°33′32″W / 35.01194°N 117.55889°W); all five SEGS have undergone demolition.[1][2][3]
SEGS VIII–IX (160 MW) are located at Harper Lake (35°01′55″N 117°20′50″W / 35.03194°N 117.34722°W).[4] NextEra Energy Resources operates and partially owns the plants located at Kramer Junction. On January 26, 2018, the SEGS VIII and IX at Harper Lake were sold to renewable energy company Terra-Gen, LLC.
A tenth plant (SEGS X, 80 MW) had been in construction and SEGS XI and SEGS XII had been planned by Luz Industries, but the developer filed for bankruptcy in 1992, because it was unable to secure construction financing.[5] The site of SEGS X was later licensed for a solar photovoltaic farm, Lockhart Solar PV II.[6]
Most of the thermal facilities were retired by 2021,[7] and photovoltaics were built on the same sites.
- ^ "SEGS III – VII - Kramer Junction". California Energy Commission. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
cca-press-releasewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
sb-resurgence-projectwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ The Energy Blog: About Parabolic Trough Solar
- ^ "Large Solar Energy Projects". California Energy Commission. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ ""2021-07-14 Lockhart Solar PV II NOP"" (PDF).
- ^ Cheah, Cindy (21 September 2021). "World's longest-operating solar thermal facility is retiring most of its capacity - Today in Energy - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". www.eia.gov. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021.