Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant
| Sarnia Solar | |
|---|---|
 Location of the Sarnia Solar is in Southwestern Ontario
|
|
| Country | Canada |
| Location | Sarnia, Ontario |
| Coordinates | 42°56′16″N 82°20′30″W / 42.93778°N 82.34167°WCoordinates: 42°56′16″N 82°20′30″W / 42.93778°N 82.34167°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | December 2009 |
| Construction cost | $400 Million |
| Owner(s) | Enbridge |
| Operator(s) | First Solar O&M |
| Solar farm | |
| Type | Flat-panel PV |
| Site area | 1,100 acres (450 ha)[1] |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 1,300,000 |
| Nameplate capacity | 97 MW |
| Annual generation | 120 GWh |
Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant near Sarnia, Ontario, is Canada's largest photovoltaic plant with an installed capacity of 97 MWp.[2][3][4]
In 2009, Ontario introduced a feed-in tariff renewable energy payments program paying up to CDN 44.3 cents per kW·h for large ground arrays such as the Sarnia plant.[5] This makes Ontario's one of the top feed in tariff programs in the world.
Phase I (for 20 MWp) was completed in December 2009.[6] Phase II (60 MWp) was completed in September 2010 at a cost of C$300 million.[7][8][9] The project was developed by Enbridge.[10]
First Solar developed, engineered, and constructed the facility, and it will operate the Sarnia Solar Project for Enbridge under a long-term contract. Enbridge will sell the power output of the facility to the Ontario Power Authority pursuant to 20-year power purchase agreements under the terms of the Ontario government's Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program.
The plant covers 1,100 acres (445.2 ha) and contains about 635 acres (96.6 ha) of modules, which is about 1.3 million thin-film panels. The expected annual energy yield is about 120,000 MW·h, which if produced in a coal-fired plant, would require emission of 39,000 tonnes of CO2.
| Year(a) | Name of PV power station | Country | Capacity MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Lugo | USA | 1 |
| 1985 | Carrisa Plain | USA | 5.6 |
| 2005 | Bavaria Solarpark (Mühlhausen) | Germany | 6.3 |
| 2006 | Erlasee Solar Park | Germany | 11.4 |
| 2008 | Olmedilla Photovoltaic Park | Spain | 60 |
| 2010 | Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant | Canada | 97 |
| 2011 | Huanghe Hydropower Golmud Solar Park | China | 200 |
| 2012 | Agua Caliente Solar Project | USA | 290 |
| 2014 | Topaz Solar Farm(b) | USA | 550 |
| 2015 | Solar Star(b) | USA | 579 |
| Also see list of noteworthy solar parks (a) year of final commissioning (b) capacity given in MWAC otherwise in MWDC |
|||
See also[edit]
References[edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Solar energy in Canada. |
- ^ "Photovoltaic power stations - site footprints". Wiki-Solar. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- ^ Enbridge completes Sarnia solar farm "Sarnia-Enbridge Solar Farm" Check
|url=scheme (help). Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 5 October 2010. - ^ Sarnia Solar Farm
- ^ CPS Energy ratchets up investment in solar
- ^ FIT program overview retrieved 2011 03 02
- ^ Enbridge and First Solar Agree on 60 MW Renewable Energy Expansion at Sarnia
- ^ Sarnia Project Celebration
- ^ pvresources Retrieved 6 September 2010
- ^ Sarnia Becomes Largest PV Farm
- ^ eXenewable Project Profile Page - Sarnia, PV, Canada
