by Shane Henson — June 1, 2012—The construction of Topaz Solar Farms, reportedly the largest solar project under construction in the world, is now underway.
The Topaz project, located in San Luis Obispo County, California, is owned by MidAmerican Solar, a subsidiary of MidAmerican Renewables, and will be constructed, operated and maintained by First Solar. First Solar says its advanced thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules generate electricity with no emissions, waste or water use, and its systems reportedly have the smallest carbon footprint of any PV technology. Each module is approximately 4 feet by 2 feet and weighs 27.5 pounds.
According to the companies, when complete in 2015, the 550-megawattAC project will include nearly 9 million photovoltaic panels and will produce sufficient electricity to power 160,000 average California homes. Electricity generated by the Topaz project will displace approximately 377,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year—the equivalent of taking approximately 73,000 cars off the road. First Solar’s pre-funded collection and recycling program provides a responsible end of life for the PV panels. More than 90 percent of the material is re-used.
PG&E will purchase the electricity from the Topaz project under a 25-year power purchase agreement, helping California meet its mandate to generate 33 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020.
