Solar Energy Generating Systems
Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) is a concentrated solar power plant in California, United States. With the combined capacity from three separate locations at 354 megawatt (MW), it was once the world's second largest solar thermal energy generating facility, until the commissioning of the even larger Ivanpah facility in 2014. It consisted of nine solar power plants in California's Mojave Desert, where insolation is among the best available in the United States.
| Solar Energy Generating Systems | |
|---|---|
Part of the 354 MW SEGS solar complex in northern San Bernardino County, California. | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Mojave Desert |
| Coordinates | 35.0316°N 117.348°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1983 |
| Commission date | 1984 |
| Owner(s) | NextEra Energy Resources |
| Solar farm | |
| Type | CSP |
| CSP technology | Parabolic trough |
| Collectors | 936,384 |
| Site resource | 2,725 kWh/m2/yr |
| Site area | 1,600 acres (647.5 ha) |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 2 |
| Units decommissioned | 7 |
| Nameplate capacity | 160 MW |
| Capacity factor | 19.2% |
| Annual net output | 539 GW·h (2015) |
SEGS I–II (44 MW) were located at Daggett (34°51′45″N 116°49′45″W); they have been replaced with a solar photovoltaic farm.
SEGS III–VII (150 MW) were installed at Kramer Junction (35°00′43″N 117°33′32″W); all five SEGS have undergone demolition.
SEGS VIII–IX (160 MW) are located at Harper Lake (35°01′55″N 117°20′50″W). NextEra Energy Resources operates and partially owns the plants located at Kramer Junction. On January 26, 2018, the SEGS VIII and IX at Harper Lake were sold to renewable energy company Terra-Gen, LLC.
A tenth plant (SEGS X, 80 MW) had been in construction and SEGS XI and SEGS XII had been planned by Luz Industries, but the developer filed for bankruptcy in 1992, because it was unable to secure construction financing. The site of SEGS X was later licensed for a solar photovoltaic farm, Lockhart Solar PV II.
Most of the thermal facilities were retired by 2021, and photovoltaics were built on the same sites.