The 5 largest photovoltaic projects in the USA

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, there are currently over five million solar installations in the US.

Below are the five largest solar installations in the U.S. as of 2024, based on their generating capacity.

Copper Mountain Solar Power Plant in Nevada

The combined facility, consisting of many smaller installations, produces more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar energy, which is about half of the generating capacity of Hoover Dam.

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Located in Boulder City, Nevada, the Copper Mountain Solar Facility consists of more than 9 million solar panels spread over more than 4,000 acres, or about the size of 5,000 football fields. Construction of the plant began in 2010.

Edwards & Sanborn Solar and Storage Project, California

Located in Kern County, California, the Edwards & Sanborn project boasts a capacity of 875 megawatts (MW) of solar energy and 3.3 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy storage.

It contains nearly 2 million solar panels and provides enough electricity to power approximately 238,000 homes, reducing an estimated 320,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

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The more than 4,600-acre project was the largest public-private collaboration in the history of the U.S. Department of Defense (part of the site is located on Edwards Air Force Base).

Sunstar, California

Solar Star, located in Kern and Los Angeles counties, remains one of the largest solar farms in the U.S. with a total capacity of 579 MW. It consists of 1.7 million solar panels spread over approximately 3,200 acres.

The project, which began operations in June 2015, has a total capacity of 579 MW, enough to power approximately 255,000 homes.

The design uses single-axis tracking technology to allow the panels to follow the sun’s path throughout the day. This increases energy production by 25 percent compared to fixed-position panels.

Topaz Solar Farm in California

The Topaz solar farm, located on the Carrizo Plain in San Luis Obispo County, California, was completed in 2015 and has a capacity of 550 MW.

This 3,700-acre facility could power about 180,000 homes and displace about 407,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually, the equivalent of removing 77,000 cars from American roads each year.

The farm reportedly boosted the local economy by $417 million.

Desert Sunlight Solar Farm in California

The Desert Sunlight solar farm has a capacity of 550 MW. Construction began in September 2011.

Implemented in two phases, the first stage provided an energy capacity of 330 MW and the second 250 MW.

As of 2023, the farm produced enough electricity to power nearly 160,000 California households and could displace nearly 300,000 metric tons of CO2 annually.

While California-based projects dominate the list, the Golden State isn’t the only region making waves in the renewable energy industry.

There are currently plans to build a 5,200-acre site in Wyoming that will power approximately 73,000 homes.

In Texas, a solar farm larger than Central Park recently began generating power at full capacity. This project could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 600,000 tons per year.

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