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By Joe Edwards
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There are now more than five million solar installations in the U.S., according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
Below are the top five largest solar installations in the U.S. as of 2024, based on their power generation capacity.
Copper Mountain Solar Facility, Nevada
Comprised of multiple smaller installations, the combined facility represents over 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar power, around half the generating capacity of the Hoover Dam.
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Located in Boulder City, Nevada, Copper Mountain Solar Facility boasts over 9 million solar panels spanning more than 4,000 acres, which is roughly the size of 5,000 football fields. Construction on the plant began in 2010.
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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 power and 3.3 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy storage.
It features nearly 2 million solar panels and provides enough electricity to power approximately 238,000 homes, abating an estimated 320,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
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Spanning over 4,600 acres, the project was the largest public-private collaboration in U.S. Department of Defense history (a portion of the site is located on Edwards Air Force Base).
Solar Star, 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 comprises 1.7 million solar panels spread across around 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 project utilizes single-axis tracking technology to enable the panels to follow the path of the sun throughout the day. This increases energy production by 25 percent compared to fixed-position panels.
Topaz Solar Farm, California
Situated on the Carrizo Plain in San Luis Obispo County, California, the Topaz Solar Farm was completed in 2015 with a capacity of 550 MW.
This 3,700 acre installation can power approximately 180,000 homes and displaces around 407,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, akin to removing 77,000 cars from America's road each year.
The farm is reported to have boosted the local economy by $417 million.
Desert Sunlight Solar Farm, California
The Desert Sunlight Solar Farm has a capacity of 550 MW. Construction began back in September 2011.
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Completed in two phases, the first stage provided 330 MW of energy capacity and the second 250 MW.
As of 2023, the farm generated enough electricity to provide for almost 160,000 California households with the potential to displace almost 300,000 metric tons of CO2 each year.
Although the list is dominated by California-based projects, the Golden State isn't the only region making waves in the renewable energy industry.
A 5,200 acre site is currently slated for construction in Wyoming that would power roughly 73,000 homes.
In Texas, a solar farm larger than Central Park recently began generating energy at full capacity. This project could cut roughly 600,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.
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