What's to see SOLAR in sunny San Diego?

[bvmm]

I'll be visiting San Diego, and so am wondering (since there seems to be a fair number of people on this site from San Diego) if there were particularly interesting solar sites in the San Diego area.

[J.P.M.]

That probably depends on your interest and expertize. For example, go to affluent areas and rooftop solar is becoming quite common. Poorer areas not so much. I suppose that might be of more interest to a sociologist than an engineer. Relatively large assays - say megaWatt size and greater - are around. They may look impressive the first time you see one, but probably boring after 2 or 3 visits. There's a 1.2MW array about 1 1/4 miles from me and it just sits there generating power, unattended almost all the time. Kind of boring. I think the array on my roof is pretty interesting, but I'm biased. It looks and operates no different than most others.

[DanS26]

Google Earth is a pretty interesting way to find arrays in a particular area. Saves gas too!

[bvmm]

I agree - Google is a great tool for finding rooftop solar. In my browsing, the likelihood of San Diego rooftop solar appeared to go up with the apparent wealth of the house (large property and large modern house). Is there any concentrating solar power in the area?

[SunEagle]

Google Earth is a pretty interesting way to find arrays in a particular area. Saves gas too!

I agree but unfortunately the satellite pictures shown by Google may be over a year old so you will not see any new installations.

[bcroe]

I agree but unfortunately the satellite pictures shown by Google may be over a year old so you will not see any new installations.

Google pictures here in NW IL date to Aug 2013. Bruce Roe

[SunEagle]

Google pictures here in NW IL date to Aug 2013. Bruce Roe

I believe that some place have pictures older than that. I guess it depends on how important that part of the US gets viewed for Google to update the data.

[J.P.M.]

I agree but unfortunately the satellite pictures shown by Google may be over a year old so you will not see any new installations.

FWIW, a lot of the Google shots are quite recent, some from Jan., 2016. Also, the street views aare mostly date stamped.

[inetdog]

FWIW, a lot of the Google shots are quite recent, some from Jan., 2016. Also, the street views aare mostly date stamped.

One thing that I really love is the ability in Google Earth to go back in time to earlier views of the same area, even going back into aerial photography surveys. Both shows what was there then and how the mapping technology has improved.

[littleharbor]

A little out of the way but, If you are traveling east on Interstate 8 there is a HUGE new solar farm just outside of El Centro. I tried to find info online about this installation but came up empty. Have been watching the progress for about the last year and now they look to be online or very close anyway. All I can say is at one elevated point on the highway it looks like a vast sea of solar modules, possibly in the millions, well hundreds of thousands anyway.

[SunEagle]

A little out of the way but, If you are traveling east on Interstate 8 there is a HUGE new solar farm just outside of El Centro. I tried to find info online about this installation but came up empty. Have been watching the progress for about the last year and now they look to be online or very close anyway. All I can say is at one elevated point on the highway it looks like a vast sea of solar modules, possibly in the millions, well hundreds of thousands anyway.

There are at least 2 large solar arrays just West of El Centro along Interstate 8. One is the Tenaska Imperial West 150MW farm and the other is called Camp Verde with 139MW array.

Also South of El Centro along the Mexican boarder there are at least 3 big arrays. The Centinela 170MW farm, Mount Signal 232MW farm and Tenask Imperial 130MW farm.

[littleharbor]

They be makin' a lot of electricity.

[J.P.M.]

A little out of the way but, If you are traveling east on Interstate 8 there is a HUGE new solar farm just outside of El Centro. I tried to find info online about this installation but came up empty. Have been watching the progress for about the last year and now they look to be online or very close anyway. All I can say is at one elevated point on the highway it looks like a vast sea of solar modules, possibly in the millions, well hundreds of thousands anyway.

Similarly, between about 2-4 miles (a big array !) north of I-10 at a wide spot in the road quite aptly called Desert Center, a big solar generating station. Or, on the way to Vegas on I-15, close to the CA-NV line, the Ivanpah power towers. Very impressive if the sun is shining. Some problems on startup that initially made it look like some of the turkey vultures it fried. Doing better now, but still a ways to go to meet expectations. Or, along I-10 at/around Banning going into the Coachella Valley on the way to Palm Springs. 1,200 or so wind turbines spread across the landscape. Not so positively impressing is the idea that the combined annual output of every wind turbine you will see there does not equal that of a moderate to large conventional power plant. I'm a fan of R.E., but some perspective on capabilities and limitations can add a sobering reality.

[littleharbor]

After watching a few of the Tenaska videos they mentioned there were over 2 MILLION panels in the south farm which is 130MW. The west farm, off interstate 8 is 150MW so my guess of possibly millions of panels was pretty good. It's an amazing sight.

[SunEagle]

After watching a few of the Tenaska videos they mentioned there were over 2 MILLION panels in the south farm which is 130MW. The west farm, off interstate 8 is 150MW so my guess of possibly millions of panels was pretty good. It's an amazing sight.

Believe or not but there are many more large (>50MW) solar arrays in southern CA & NV with many more planned.