# Desert Sunlight 250, LLC

CAISO Solar Photovoltaic · https://askthegrid.com/assets/facilities/desert-sunlight-250-llc

Desert Sunlight 250, LLC is a solar power facility with 249.7 MW of EIA-reported operating capacity in Riverside County, California, registered as EIA Plant ID 58542. Commercial operation began in December 2014. The facility interconnects at Red Bluff Substation at 230 kV.

## Key facts

- Technology: Solar Photovoltaic
- Power capacity: 249.7 MW
- Operating status: operating

## Grid and market context

- ISO/RTO: CAISO
- Balancing authority: CISO
- Substation: Red Bluff Substation
- Point of interconnection: Red Bluff Substation
- Transmission owner: Southern California Edison Company (SCE)
- Interconnection voltage: 230 kV

## Source-backed facts

- Identifiers: [{"value":"58542","system":"EIA plant ID"},{"value":"CISO","system":"Balancing authority"},{"value":"CAISO","system":"ISO/RTO power market"},{"value":"DESERT SUNLIGHT PV I — resource 146","system":"CAISO market resource"},{"value":"ER13-1991-000","system":"FERC market-based-rate application docket"},{"value":"ER13-1991-001","system":"FERC MBR-granted docket"},{"value":"ER24-946-000","system":"FERC docket"},{"value":"DSL12, DSL13, DSL14, DSL15, DSL16, DSL17, DSL18, DSL19, DSL20","system":"FERC MBR generator IDs"}] — Sheet1 · confidence: medium
- Identifiers: [{"value":"58542","system":"EIA plant ID"},{"value":"CISO","system":"Balancing authority"},{"value":"CAISO","system":"ISO/RTO power market"},{"value":"DESERT SUNLIGHT PV I — resource 146","system":"CAISO market resource"},{"value":"ER13-1991-000","system":"FERC market-based-rate application docket"},{"value":"ER13-1991-001","system":"FERC MBR-granted docket"},{"value":"ER24-946-000","system":"FERC docket"},{"value":"DSL12, DSL13, DSL14, DSL15, DSL16, DSL17, DSL18, DSL19, DSL20","system":"FERC MBR generator IDs"}] — Federal Register :: Desert Sunlight 250, LLC; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes Request for Blanket Section 204 Authorization · confidence: medium
- Identifiers: [{"value":"58542","system":"EIA plant ID"},{"value":"CISO","system":"Balancing authority"},{"value":"CAISO","system":"ISO/RTO power market"},{"value":"DESERT SUNLIGHT PV I — resource 146","system":"CAISO market resource"},{"value":"ER13-1991-000","system":"FERC market-based-rate application docket"},{"value":"ER13-1991-001","system":"FERC MBR-granted docket"},{"value":"ER24-946-000","system":"FERC docket"},{"value":"DSL12, DSL13, DSL14, DSL15, DSL16, DSL17, DSL18, DSL19, DSL20","system":"FERC MBR generator IDs"}] — Combined Filings · confidence: medium
- Identifiers.3: {"value":"DESERT SUNLIGHT PV I — resource 146","system":"CAISO market resource"} — Sheet1 · confidence: medium
- Identifiers.4: {"value":"ER13-1991-000","system":"FERC market-based-rate application docket"} — Federal Register :: Desert Sunlight 250, LLC; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes Request for Blanket Section 204 Authorization · confidence: high
- Identifiers.6: {"value":"ER24-946-000","system":"FERC docket"} — Combined Filings · confidence: high
- Interconnection: Red Bluff Substation (500/220 kV), Southern California Edison — Red Bluff Substation Project · confidence: medium
- Construction scope: Operational 249.7 MW solar photovoltaic facility with nine generating units. The exact Desert Sunlight 250 Facility includes photovoltaic modules, inverters, trackers, ground-mount racking systems, electrical collection systems, access roads, associated equipment/materials and improvements, and a Gen-Tie line. Official sources report 8.9 million First Solar Series 3 modules and GE power inverters for the combined 550 MW Desert Sunlight project, but do not allocate those counts to the exact 250 MW facility; therefore no exact 250-only module or inverter count is reported. — Source · confidence: medium
- Product url: https://www.firstsolar.com/-/media/First-Solar/Technical-Documents/Series-3-Datasheets/Series-3-Black-Datasheet---North-America.PDF — DESERT SUNLIGHT | Department of Energy · confidence: medium
- Product url: https://www.firstsolar.com/-/media/First-Solar/Technical-Documents/Series-3-Datasheets/Series-3-Black-Datasheet---North-America.PDF — First Solar® FS Series 3™ Black PV Module · confidence: medium
- Kind: solar — Source · confidence: high
- Construction scope: Operational 249.7 MW solar photovoltaic facility with nine generating units. The exact Desert Sunlight 250 Facility includes photovoltaic modules, inverters, trackers, ground-mount racking systems, electrical collection systems, access roads, associated equipment/materials and improvements, and a Gen-Tie line. Official sources report 8.9 million First Solar Series 3 modules and GE power inverters for the combined 550 MW Desert Sunlight project, but do not allocate those counts to the exact 250 MW facility; therefore no exact 250-only module or inverter count is reported. — DESERT SUNLIGHT | Department of Energy · confidence: medium
- Construction scope: Operational 249.7 MW solar photovoltaic facility with nine generating units. The exact Desert Sunlight 250 Facility includes photovoltaic modules, inverters, trackers, ground-mount racking systems, electrical collection systems, access roads, associated equipment/materials and improvements, and a Gen-Tie line. Official sources report 8.9 million First Solar Series 3 modules and GE power inverters for the combined 550 MW Desert Sunlight project, but do not allocate those counts to the exact 250 MW facility; therefore no exact 250-only module or inverter count is reported. — GE's Energy Investing Unit Exceeds $10 Billion Renewable Energy Milestone, Generating Clean Power, Jobs | GE News · confidence: medium
- Product url: https://www.firstsolar.com/-/media/First-Solar/Technical-Documents/Series-3-Datasheets/Series-3-Black-Datasheet---North-America.PDF — Source · confidence: medium
- Manufacturer domain: firstsolar.com — NextEra Energy Newsroom - News Releases · confidence: medium
- Product family: Series 3 thin-film cadmium-telluride (CdTe) solar modules — Source · confidence: medium
- Manufacturer name: First Solar, Inc. — NextEra Energy Newsroom - News Releases · confidence: medium
- Commercial parties.2: {"relationship":"Owner/investor and 2015 seller","name":"GE Energy Financial Services","detail":"GE acquired an initial 50% interest from First Solar and later agreed to sell its 25% interest to NRG Yield in June 2015.","official_url":"https://www.ge.com/"} — Source · confidence: high
- Commercial parties.5: {"relationship":"Original developer, seller, EPC and O&M provider","name":"First Solar, Inc.","detail":"First Solar developed and sold the project, permitted and constructed the facility, supplied its thin-film modules, and retained operating and maintenance responsibilities under separate agreements.","official_url":"https://www.firstsolar.com/"} — Source · confidence: medium
- Commercial parties.8: {"relationship":"Project-financing guarantor","name":"U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office","detail":"The Department of Energy approved the September 2011 loan guarantee that partially supported the project's $1.46 billion loan package.","official_url":"https://www.energy.gov/lpo"} — Source · confidence: high
- Commercial parties.9: {"relationship":"Lead project lender","name":"Goldman Sachs Lending Partners LLC","detail":"Identified as a lead lender for the privately provided project loans partially guaranteed by the Department of Energy.","official_url":"https://www.goldmansachs.com/"} — Source · confidence: high
- Commercial parties.10: {"relationship":"Lead project lender","name":"Citigroup","detail":"Identified as a lead lender for the privately provided project loans partially guaranteed by the Department of Energy.","official_url":"https://www.citigroup.com/"} — Source · confidence: high
- Timeline.0: {"event":"Original project sale","date":"2011-09-30","detail":"First Solar announced the sale of the 550 MW Desert Sunlight project to affiliates of NextEra Energy Resources and GE Energy Financial Services. Each initially acquired a 50% interest; the sale price was not disclosed."} — Source · confidence: high
- Timeline.1: {"event":"Project financing guarantee","date":"2011-09-29","detail":"The U.S. Department of Energy approved a loan guarantee partially supporting $1.46 billion in project loans from private institutional investors and commercial banks, with Goldman Sachs Lending Partners LLC and Citigroup as lead lenders."} — Source · confidence: high
- Timeline.4: {"event":"Commercial operation","date":"2014-12","detail":"First Solar and NRG materials reported commercial operation for the entire Desert Sunlight farm in December 2014."} — Source · confidence: high
- Resource type: Photovoltaic — Briefing on Resources available for near term interconnection · confidence: medium

## Timeline

- 2011-09 — Construction began
  First Solar reported that construction of the Desert Sunlight project had begun in September 2011.
  Source: Source (https://newsroom.nexteraenergy.com/news-releases?item=123425&l=12)
- 2011-09-29 — Project financing guarantee
  The U.S. Department of Energy approved a loan guarantee partially supporting $1.46 billion in project loans from private institutional investors and commercial banks, with Goldman Sachs Lending Partners LLC and Citigroup as lead lenders.
  Source: Source (https://newsroom.nexteraenergy.com/news-releases?item=123425&l=12)
- 2014-12 — Commercial operation
  First Solar and NRG materials reported commercial operation for the entire Desert Sunlight farm in December 2014.
  Source: Source (https://investor.clearwayenergy.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nrg-yield-enters-agreement-acquire-interest-largest-operating)

## Sources

- [NextEra Energy Newsroom - News Releases](https://newsroom.nexteraenergy.com/One-of-the-worlds-largest-solar-projects-starts-commercial-operation?l=12) — newsroom.nexteraenergy.com · tier other
- [Sheet1](https://stakeholdercenter.caiso.com/Common/DownloadFile/c5deba88-5b7e-42c5-bbbf-774a3674cf9c) — stakeholdercenter.caiso.com · tier other
- [Federal Register :: Desert Sunlight 250, LLC; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes Request for Blanket Section 204 Authorization](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2013/07/29/2013-18118/desert-sunlight-250-llc-supplemental-notice-that-initial-market-based-rate-filing-includes-request) — federalregister.gov · tier regulatory
- [Combined Filings](https://www.regulations.gov/document/FERC-2024-0109-0001) — regulations.gov · tier regulatory
- [NRG Yield Enters into Agreement to Acquire Interest in Largest Operating Solar Farm in North America | Clearway Energy, Inc.](https://investor.clearwayenergy.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nrg-yield-enters-agreement-acquire-interest-largest-operating) — investor.clearwayenergy.com · tier other
- [Source](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1603145/000160314517000074/nep3q2017ex2109302017.htm) — sec.gov · tier regulatory
- [Red Bluff Substation Project](https://www.sce.com/about-sce/reliability/projects-in-progress/projects-archive/red-bluff-substation-project) — sce.com · tier other
- [Desert Sunlight Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Farm, California](https://www.energymonitor.ai/projects/desert-sunlight-photovoltaic-pv-solar-farm-california/) — energymonitor.ai · tier other
- [Secretary Jewell, Director Kornze "Flip the Switch" on Desert Sunlight Solar Farm | Bureau of Land Management](https://www.blm.gov/press-release/secretary-jewell-director-kornze-flip-switch-desert-sunlight-solar-farm) — blm.gov · tier regulatory
- [DESERT SUNLIGHT | Department of Energy](https://energy.gov/edf/desert-sunlight) — energy.gov · tier regulatory
- [First Solar® FS Series 3™ Black PV Module](https://www.firstsolar.com/-/media/First-Solar/Technical-Documents/Series-3-Datasheets/Series-3-Black-Datasheet---North-America.PDF) — firstsolar.com · tier other
- [DESERT SUNLIGHT | Department of Energy](https://www.energy.gov/edf/desert-sunlight) — energy.gov · tier regulatory
- [GE's Energy Investing Unit Exceeds $10 Billion Renewable Energy Milestone, Generating Clean Power, Jobs | GE News](https://www.ge.com/news/press-releases/ges-energy-investing-unit-exceeds-10-billion-renewable-energy-milestone-generating) — ge.com · tier other
- [Source](https://firstsolar.com/-/media/First-Solar/Technical-Documents/Series-3-Datasheets/Series-3-Black-Datasheet---North-America.PDF) — firstsolar.com · tier other
- [Source](https://newsroom.nexteraenergy.com/news-releases?item=123425&l=12) — newsroom.nexteraenergy.com · tier other
- [Federal Register/Vol. 85, No. 67/Tuesday, April 7, 2020/ ...](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-04-07/pdf/2020-07195.pdf) — govinfo.gov · tier regulatory
- [Briefing on Resources available for near term interconnection](https://www.caiso.com/documents/briefing-resourcesavailable-nearterminterconnection.pdf) — caiso.com · tier other

## Data quality

- The cited materials do not report retirement, repowering, or a later capacity expansion for the exact Desert Sunlight 250, LLC plant.

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