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585.9 MW Solar operating in San Luis Obispo, CA — California Independent System Operator
585.9 MW
Nameplate Capacity
5
Generators
units
Solar Photovoltaic
Technology
2013
Operating Since
Coordinates
35.4056, -120.0686
County
San Luis Obispo, CA
Nearby Plants
Owner data does not fully agree across sources.
EIA typically reports the operating utility, while GEM resolves to the financial owner or parent corporation. Both can be correct.
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Topaz Solar Farms LLC | First Solar | — |
| Owner(s) | Topaz Solar Farms LLC | BHE Solar LLC | Berkshire Hathaway Energy |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
GEM identifies the owner as BHE Solar LLC
This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.
Topaz Solar Farms is a 550 megawatt (MWAC) photovoltaic power station in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Construction on the project began in November 2011 and ended in November 2014. It is one of the world's largest solar farms. The $2.5 billion project includes 9 million CdTe photovoltaic modules based on thin-film technology, manufactured by U.S. company First Solar. The company also built, operates and maintains the project for BHE Renewables, a Berkshire Hathaway company. Pacific Gas and Electric will buy the electricity under a 25-year power purchase agreement. According to First Solar, it created about 400 construction jobs.
Read more on WikipediaTopaz Solar Farm is a 585.9 MW solar photovoltaic power plant located in San Luis Obispo County, California. The plant, which began operating in 2013, is owned and operated by Topaz Solar Farms LLC. It consists of 5 generators utilizing fixed-tilt solar tracking technology. Topaz Solar Farm interconnects to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authority within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region.
The facility's latest annual generation was 1,018,564 MWh, resulting in a capacity factor of 19.8%. Topaz Solar Farm is ranked as the largest solar plant in California out of 59, and 13th nationally out of 639. The plant has a reported power purchase agreement (PPA) price of $170.77 per MWh.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
ISO/RTO
CAISO
Market
ISO/RTO Member
NERC Region
WECC — Western Electricity Coordinating Council
Balancing Authority
74.0K MWh
Latest Month
1.0M MWh
Annual Generation
19.8%
Capacity Factor
Topaz Solar Farms LLC · Data from 2014–2025
$139.0/MWh
PPA Price
Market Position
ISO/RTO Market
CAISO
LMP Node
CARRIZO_1_N001
Pricing Hub
TH_SP15_GEN-APND
Location Type
Pricing Node
Node Source
Curated node match
Last updated 2026-04-19
View all 6 articlesCalifornia Independent System Operator (CISO)
Grid Voltage
230.0 kV
Regulatory Status
NR — Non-Regulated
Entity Type
Independent Power Producer
Sector
IPP Non-CHP