Solar
A subsidiary of MidAmerican Renewables, MidAmerican Solar, is located in Phoenix, Ariz. MidAmerican Solar’s primary
projects include the 550-megawatt Topaz Solar Farms in San Luis Obispo County, Calif., the 290-megawatt Agua
Caliente project in Yuma County, Ariz., and the 579-megawatt Antelope Valley Solar Projects, two co-located projects
in Kern and Los Angeles counties in California.
Topaz Solar Farms
In January 2012, MidAmerican Renewables announced it had completed its acquisition of Topaz Solar Farms from First
Solar. The 550-megawatt photovoltaic power plant is being built in San Luis Obispo County, Calif., and is the largest
single solar project under construction in the world.
Construction of Topaz Solar Farms began in November 2011 and is expected to be complete by early 2015. The project
will create approximately 400 construction jobs and 15 ongoing operations and maintenance jobs. According to an
economic benefits study by The Brattle Group and California Polytechnic State University, the project is estimated
to infuse $417 million into the local economy, the majority of which will be generated during construction, with the
remainder over the project’s minimum 25-year operating period.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company will purchase the electricity from Topaz project under a 25-year power purchase
agreement, helping California to meet its mandate to generate 33 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020.
The Topaz project utilizes advanced thin-film PV modules, which generate electricity with no emissions, waste or
water use and have the smallest carbon footprint of any PV technology. Electricity generated from the Topaz project
will displace approximately 377,000 metric tons of CO2 per year – the equivalent of taking approximately 73,000 cars
off the road.
View additional information related to the Topaz project at
www.topazsolar.com.
Agua Caliente
In January 2012, MidAmerican Renewables completed its acquisition of a 49 percent interest in the Agua Caliente
solar project from NRG Energy. NRG Energy, headquartered in Princeton, N.J., is the majority owner of the project,
having purchased 100 percent of the project from First Solar on Aug. 5, 2011.
The 290-megawatt solar photovoltaic project will generate enough electricity to offset approximately 5.5 million
metric tons of carbon dioxide over 25 years. The $1.8 billion project, which is being constructed by First Solar
and is expected to be complete by 2014, is supported by a $967 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of
Energy and a long-term power purchase agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric for all of the project’s generation.
Antelope Valley I and II
In January 2013, MidAmerican Solar announced its acquisition of SunPower Corporation’s 579-megawatt Antelope Valley
Solar Projects, two co-located projects in Kern and Los Angeles counties in California. Together, the two combined
projects will form the largest permitted solar photovoltaic power development in the world.
Construction began in first quarter 2013, with the plants expected to be complete by year-end 2015.