Topaz Solar Farm — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 57695
- Capacity
- 585.9 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Solar
- Technology
- Solar Photovoltaic
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- San Luis Obispo, CA
- Operating Since
- 2013
- Generators
- 5
- Operator
- Topaz Solar Farms LLC
- Parent Company
- —
- Annual Generation
- 1,018,564 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 19.8%
- Balancing Authority
- California Independent System Operator
- ISO/RTO
- CAISO
- NERC Region
- WECC
Topaz Solar Farm
OperatingSolar
Ranked #2 of 963 Solar plants in CA#24 of 7447 nationally
585.9 MW Solar operating in San Luis Obispo, CA — California Independent System Operator
EIAGEMWD
585.9 MW
Nameplate Capacity
5
Generators
units
Solar Photovoltaic
Technology
2013
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
35.4056, -120.0686
County
San Luis Obispo, CA
Nearby Plants
- California Valley Solar RanchSolar249.8 MW · 16.5 km
- Wonderful Orchards - West ValleySolar3 MW · 29.4 km
- Berrenda Mesa Water DistrictSolar6.4 MW · 29.5 km
Ownership & Operator
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 [100%] | Berkshire Hathaway Energy |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
GEM identifies the owner as BHE Solar LLC [100%]
This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.
About
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
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
WECC
Balancing Authority
California Independent System Operator
Grid Voltage
230 kV
Regulatory Status
NR
Entity Type
Independent Power Producer
Sector
IPP Non-CHP
Generation
74.0K MWh
Latest Month
1.0M MWh
Annual Generation
19.8%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2023 – Dec 2025
Financial DataBeta
Source: FERC Electric Quarterly Reports, LBNL Utility-Scale SolarHIGH
$139.0/MWh
PPA Price
Topaz Solar Farms LLC
Contract Seller
Per-Unit Cost Trends
Pricing & Market Data
MEDIUM confidenceMarket 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
News & Articles (10)Beta
Industry·technology
In California, solar generation could finally surpass gas this year
California's solar systems, from rooftop panels to massive desert installations, generated nearly as much electricity as its gas plants last year.
Canary Media·11 months ago
Industry·technology
Topaz Solar Farm, US- one of the largest solar PV projects in the world
Topaz Solar Farm in the US is one of the largest photovoltaic solar projects in the world with a power generating capacity of 550MW.
Topaz Solar Farm (operator)
NS Energy·3 years ago
Industry·corporate
California invested heavily in solar power. Now there's so much that other states are sometimes paid to take it
The state's push forward on both fossil fuel and renewable plants has led to excess power — and energy that goes to waste.
Los Angeles Times·8 years ago
Industry·technology
India unveils the world’s largest solar power plant
Images have been released showing the sheer size of a new solar power plant in southern India. The facility in Kamuthi, Tamil Nadu, has a capacity of 648 MW.
Al Jazeera·9 years ago
Last updated 2026-03-14
View all 10 articles