# Solar Star

Solar Star is a 579-megawatt (MW$_{AC}$) photovoltaic power station near Rosamond, California, United States, that is operated and maintained by SunPower Services. When completed in June 2015, it was the world's largest solar farm in terms of installed capacity, using 1.7 million solar panels, made by SunPower and spread over 13 square kilometers (3,200 acres).

## Comparison to similar plants

Compared to other photovoltaic plants of similar size, Solar Star uses a smaller number (1.7 million) of large form-factor, high-wattage, high-efficiency, higher cost crystalline silicon modules, mounted on single axis trackers. In contrast, the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm and the Topaz Solar Farm (550 MW each) use a larger number (roughly 9 million) of smaller form-factor, lower wattage, lower efficiency, lower cost thin-film CdTe photovoltaic modules, mounted on fixed-tilt arrays and spread over a larger land area. Both approaches appear commercially viable.
There are a number of other solar photovoltaic plants nearby:
* Antelope Valley Solar Ranch (266 MW from 3.8 million thin film panels) 34°46′N 118°25′W﻿ / ﻿34.767°N 118.417°W﻿ / 34.767; -118.417﻿ (Antelope Valley Solar Ranch)
* Alpine Solar (66 MW AC, thin film panels) 34°47′37″N 118°30′44″W﻿ / ﻿34.79361°N 118.51222°W﻿ / 34.79361; -118.51222﻿ (Alpine Solar)
* Catalina Solar Project (60 MW, thin film panels) 34°56′N 118°20′W﻿ / ﻿34.933°N 118.333°W﻿ / 34.933; -118.333﻿ (Catalina Solar Project)

## Electricity production

Solar Star 1's nameplate capacities are 398 MW$_{dc}$ and 314 MW$_{ac}$.
Generation (MW·h) of Solar Star 1 :
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
| 2014 | | | 14,332 | 28,753 | 36,448 | 38,215 | 35,596 | 36,759 | 37,188 | 42,315 | 31,070 | 24,669 | 325,345 |
| 2015 | 34,125 | | 69,839 | 84,200 | 97,302 | 93,801 | 99,408 | 97,315 | 81,857 | 63,305 | 55,844 | 44,893 | 821,889 |
| 2016 | 39,867 | 39,296 | 32,636 | 84,802 | 91,786 | 51,523 | 52,262 | 99,009 | 85,110 | 67,456 | 50,141 | 36,270 | 679,158 |
| 2017 | 41,432 | 48,667 | 79,574 | 86,741 | 99,308 | 105,230 | 102,026 | 91,375 | 82,008 | 72,837 | 50,163 | 46,171 | 905,532 |
| 2018 | 44,314 | 60,323 | 67,871 | 88,462 | 102,351 | 105,674 | 97,203 | 96,445 | 84,320 | 66,841 | 49,275 | 43,626 | 906,705 |
| 2019 | 40,956 | 50,112 | 70,909 | 78,741 | 82,254 | 100,807 | 100,508 | 100,127 | 82,965 | 74,358 | 49,294 | 31,357 | 862,388 |
| 2020 | 50,547 | 61,602 | 56,733 | 60,814 | | | | | | | | | 229,696 |
| Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | 891,541 |
Solar Star 2's nameplate capacities are 350 MW$_{dc}$ and 266 MW$_{ac}$.
Generation (MW·h) of Solar Star 2 :
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
| 2014 | | | 14,321 | 19,610 | 30,291 | 42,338 | 44,483 | 52,767 | 52,276 | 50,675 | 40,447 | 32,848 | 380,056 |
| 2015 | 40,769 | 50,582 | 68,531 | 77,036 | 87,210 | 83,183 | 87,909 | 85,625 | 72,530 | 55,497 | 49,895 | 39,635 | 798,402 |
| 2016 | 34,065 | 56,385 | 53,776 | 74,427 | 89,089 | 65,376 | 95,256 | 86,438 | 73,226 | 58,390 | 45,752 | 35,668 | 767,848 |
| 2017 | 36,824 | 42,569 | 69,736 | 76,824 | 71,491 | 90,485 | 84,702 | 78,023 | 71,119 | 62,199 | 43,428 | 40,789 | 768,189 |
| 2018 | 38,743 | 53,333 | 60,030 | 78,275 | 90,722 | 90,729 | 81,903 | 81,814 | 74,103 | 59,716 | 42,773 | 37,987 | 790,128 |
| 2019 | 35,800 | 43,867 | 62,156 | 69,316 | 72,178 | 88,927 | 90,397 | 87,610 | 72,794 | 65,450 | 43,786 | 24,485 | 756,766 |
| 2020 | 44,125 | 52,918 | 50,630 | 54,672 | | | | | | | | | 202,345 |
| Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | Average Annual Production (years 2017–2019) | 771,694 |