US Interior Secretary Sally Jewell at Desert Sunlight's commissioning

550MW Desert Sunlight PV project commissioned in California

The 550MW Desert Sunlight PV project – owned by affiliates of NextEra Energy (50%), GE (25%) and Japan’s Sumitomo (25%) – has been commissioned in the California desert, tying the recently commissioned Topaz for the title of world’s largest PV plant.

10 February 2015 15:36 GMT Updated 28 September 2016 9:47 GMT

By Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

First Solar began developing Desert Sunlight in 2008 on land owned by the US Bureau of Land Management, built it using more than 8 million of its own thin-film modules, and will stay on to operate the plant for its trio owners.

The electricity generated by Desert Sunlight – enough to power 160,000 California homes – will be bought by Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison under long-term contracts.

Monumental

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