Project Overview

---

    

First Solar is currently constructing the 550 megawatt (MW) Desert Sunlight Solar Farm, which is co-owned by NextEra Energy Resources, GE Energy Financial Services, and Sumitomo Corporation of America. The project is located on land managed by the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), about six miles north of the community of Desert Center. Desert Sunlight will provide enough energy to serve the needs of about 160,000 average California homes, displacing approximately 300,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per year—the equivalent of taking about 60,000 cars off the road.

Construction on the project began in September 2011, and the facility is expected to be fully operational by 2015. When completed, the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm will support California in its efforts toward providing one-third of its energy from renewable resources, while establishing Riverside County as a world leader in renewable energy.

Community Commitment

First Solar is committed to being a good neighbor—through our community relations and site selection process, as well as through our system performance. We are dedicated to meeting the needs of the community by supporting local events and providing educational benefits for local schools and universities. First Solar’s solar panels produce electricity directly from the sun without any moving parts, noise, or water consumption.

 

Project Timeline

• Planning

  November 2006
  Sunlight proposed by Optisolar

  August 2009
  Power Purchase Agreement with SCE

  March 2010
  Power Purchase Agreement with PG&E

• Permitting

  November 2009
  POD Submitted

  January 2010
  NOI published scoping meeting held

  August 2010
  Draft EIS published

  April 2011
  Publication of final EIS

• Construction

  September 2011
  Start construction

• Operation

  2015
  Estimated project operation