From PESWiki

Solar companies rolling out utility-scale plants like to say that theirs will be the "largest." When we're talking about the future, which has not yet materialized, it's fairly easy to make that claim as long as it is larger than anything that presently exists. Who actually ends up being the largest will be a matter of history once the future becomes the present. We've created this page (on Feb. 25, 2008) to track who is presently the largest, and whose claims to be the largest in the future are actually the biggest claims.

Preface

On Feb. 26, 2008, New Energy Congress member, Richard P. George, Ph.D. wrote:

The concept for this page is good but you need more and better data before you launch / promote this page.

For the manufacturers, you should do a survey of the websites of all of the major PV and solar concentrator vendors. 300 MWp per year capacity is common, 500 MWp is not uncommon, and I believe that Sharp has ~720 MWp manufacturing capacity.

For projects, you also need to survey the large integrators / developers such as MMA Resources, Sun Edison, DT Solar, etc.

Largest Solar Installations Worldwide

Note 

This is a new page -- a work in progress. The items listed below are a beginning point of reference, and do not necessary represent the actual "largest" installations at present.

Presently the Largest

• World’s Biggest Solar Farm at Centre of Portugal’s Ambitious Energy Plan (http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/07/9461/) - When fully commissioned later this year, the £250m farm set on abandoned state-owned land, is expected to supply 45MW of electricity each year, enough to power 30,000 homes. Each of the 2,520 giant solar panels is the size of a house and they are as technically sophisticated as a car. (The Guardian, UK; June 7, 2008)
  

• World's Largest Solar Plant Planned (http://alt-e.blogspot.com/2004/11/alternative-energy-south-korea-worlds.html) - 15-megawatt solar power station expected to be completed in October 2006 in Sinan county Korea. (Alt Eng News; Nov. 14, 2004)
  

• Kyocera announces 13.8-Megawatt Solar Electric Plant in Salamanca, Spain (http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/?epi_menuItemID=989a6827590d7dda9cdf6023a0908a0c&epi_menuID=c791260db682611740b28e347a808a0c&epi_baseMenuID=384979e8cc48c441ef0130f5c6908a0c&ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&div=428291328&newsId=20070911006244) - One of the largest PV systems in the world will be commissioned September 18 (Its peak rated output of 13.8 megawatts.). It is comprised of ~ 70,000 Kyocera (http://www.kyocera.com) PV modules on a 36-hectares (89-acres), powering about 5,000 homes in a central distribution model. Kyocera plans to have capacity to produce 500 megawatts of PV modules per year by March 2011. (BusinessWire; Sept. 11, 2007)
  

• World's Largest Solar Photovoltaic System Commissioned (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=34255) - Bavaria Solarpark was dedicated on June 30th. The project is fully constructed and operational with a total of 10 MW of power capacity via 57,600 silicone panels spread over 25 hectares on three solar parks. (Renewable Energy Access; July 11, 2005)
  

• Solar Cooking > World's Largest Solar Kitchen (http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/03/17/world’s-largest-solar-kitchen-in-india-can-cook-upto-38500-meals-per-day/) - The solar kitchen has been set up at Taleti, India near Mount Abu, situated at a height of 1219 m above sea level in Rajasthan. The food is cooked in 200-400 liters capacity cooking pots, producing an average of 20,000 meals a day, and up to 38,500 meals per day during periods of peak solar radiation maximum. (Inhabitat; March 18, 2008)
  

Largest Corporate Installations

• Google Ends Search for Solar Source (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/10/google_ends_sea.php) - The headquarters of Google Inc. will soon become one of the largest solar powered corporate office complexes in the U.S. with a generation capacity of 1.6 megawatts, enough to supply about 30% of projected use at the administrative complex. (TreeHugger; Oct. 17, 2006) (PhysOrg (http://www.physorg.com/news80275407.html))
  

• FedEx Unveils California's Largest Corporate Solar-Power Installation (http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/index.jsp?epi-content=REDIRECT&epi-process=process_redirect.jsp&mtitle=E-Mail+Headlines&ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20050809005040&div=428291328) - FedEx threw the switch Tuesday to activate its new solar system that is composed of more than 300,000 Sharp solar cells from Japan, installed into 5,769 photovoltaic modules that convert sunlight directly into electricity. The 904-kW system encompasses virtually the entire 81,000 square foot area of roof across the facility's two buildings. (BusinessWire; Aug. 9, 2005)
  

Largest Manufacturers at Present

• Four out of Five Americans Want Solar in New Houses (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/four_out_of_fiv.php#perma) - 80% of US residents would like to see home builders offer solar power as an option for new houses, according to a survey (http://www.personaltechpipeline.com/news/189600385) by Japan's Sharp Electric Company (the world's largest producer of solar cells). (TreeHugger; Aug. 1, 2006)
  

National Bragging Rights

• Acciona Energia to Build Two 50-Megawatt Solar Thermal Power Plants in Spain (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/05/acciona-energia-solar-power-thermal-spain.php) - Acciona Energia's turn to announce a 500 million euros investment (about $775 million) into 2 new solar thermal plants in Palma del Río, Cordoba, in southern Spain. Each will have a capacity of 50 megawatts and together they should be able to power 75,000 homes, or 244 million kWh a year. They should be operational in 2010. (Treehugger; May 13, 2008)

• Germany Surpasses Japan as World's Fastest Growing Solar Energy Producer (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=34721) - Japan still has the largest total capacity at 1.13 million kW, as of the end of 2004, compared with Germany's 790,000 kW; but Germany installed enough equipment to generate 360,000 kW, compared with Japan's growth by 270,000 kW. (Renewable Energy Access; July 26, 2005)

Claiming to be the Largest in the Future

Video (http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=698312659)

• California Dreamin' of miles of solar (http://media.cleantech.com/2637/california-dreamin-of-miles-of-solar) - A new project will place 250 megawatts of photovoltaic panels across 65 million square feet of unused commercial rooftops by Southern California Edison. It is the US's largest solar installation by a utility. (CleanTech; March 28, 2008)
  

• Kyocera announces 13.8-Megawatt Solar Electric Plant in Salamanca, Spain (http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/?epi_menuItemID=989a6827590d7dda9cdf6023a0908a0c&epi_menuID=c791260db682611740b28e347a808a0c&epi_baseMenuID=384979e8cc48c441ef0130f5c6908a0c&ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&div=428291328&newsId=20070911006244) - One of the largest PV systems in the world will be commissioned September 18. It is comprised of ~ 70,000 Kyocera (http://www.kyocera.com) PV modules on a 36-hectares (89-acres), powering about 5,000 homes in a central distribution model. Kyocera plans to have capacity to produce 500 megawatts of PV modules per year by March 2011. (BusinessWire; Sept. 11, 2007)
  

• World's largest solar installation to use Stirling engine technology (http://pesn.com/2005/08/11/9600147_Edison_Stirling_largest_solar/) - 20-year purchase agreement between Southern California Edison and Stirling Energy Systems, Inc. will result in 20,000+ dish array, covering 4,500 acres, and capable of generating 500 MW -- more electricity than all other present U.S. solar projects combined. (PESN; Aug. 11, 2005)
  

• World's Biggest Solar Farm Planned for New Mexico (http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/36162/story.htm) - Two start-up companies and New Mexico plan a US$1.6 billion, 3,200-acre, 300 MW photovoltaic power farm that would be 30 times the size of the world's biggest one now, with enough power for 240,000 homes. (Reuters; Apr. 27, 2006) (Pueblo Chieftan (http://www.chieftain.com/business/1143793556/1); Mar. 31)
  

• CLP To Develop World's Largest Solar Power Station (http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/47175/story.htm) - An Australian subsidiary of CLP Holdings Ltd, the larger of Hong Kong's two power utilities, has agreed with Melbourne-based Solar Systems to develop the world's largest solar power station. ...subsequently investing up to A$285 million to build the remaining stages of the 154 megawatt project in northern Victoria, Australia, CLP said. (Reuters; February 26, 2008)
  

News Coverage

• Larger is Better (http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/solar-temblor-9-big-trends-page2.html) - Economy of scale in Solar plant installations.

See also

• Directory:Largest

GENERAL:
- Directory:Solar - index of resources
- PowerPedia:Solar Energy - Encyclopedic review of history and future
- Videos:Solar MODALITIES:
- Directory:Concentrated Solar Power
- Directory:Solar:PhotoVoltaics | Directory:Home Generation:Solar PV
- Directory:Home Generation:Solar Heating
- Directory:Thin Film Solar
- Directory:Solar:Photosynthesis Imitation
- Directory:Solar Tower
- Directory:Floating Solar Chimney
- Directory:Space Based Solar Power
- Directory:Solar Sails
INFRASTRUCTURE
- Directory:Plastic Solar Cells
- Directory:Silicon - more efficient uses, alternatives, methods
- Directory:Black Silicon
- Directory:Synchronous Solar Heliostat
- Directory:Solar:Installation and Consultation
- Directory:Solar:Largest
APPLICATIONS:
- Directory:Solar:Chargers
- Directory:Solar:Vehicles
- Directory:Solar Hydrogen
- OS:Solar Ethanol - distiller design
- Directory:Solar Pavement - black-body absorption of the asphalt