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Carson Cogeneration

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 33.8759, -118.2491.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ modelled

Carson Cogeneration is a 56 MW gas power plant in California, United States of America. It is operated by Carson Cogeneration Co. Based on reported annual generation of 25 GWh, it can supply roughly 7.1k homes. It ranks #3562 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1990, it is around 36 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 57,917 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 14k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 40.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

56Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
25GWh reported / yr
7,057homes powered
57,917t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1990commissioned (~36 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010169.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCarson Cogeneration WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates33.8759, -118.2491 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity56 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCarson Cogeneration Co WRI
Commissioned1990 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr25 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions57,917 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3562 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1326 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.46× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent7,057 calculated from reported generation
Climate17.9°C · HDD 544 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 57/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000401648); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 56 MW, Carson Cogeneration is below the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

~57,917 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

14kpassenger cars driven for a year
7.6khomes' yearly energy use
965ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2013: 280 GWh20132014: 36 GWh20142015: 33 GWh20152016: 37 GWh20162017: 5 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 25 GWh2019280 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Carson Cogeneration Co.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 33.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.9°Cannual mean temp
544heating degree-days (base 18°C)
499cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
12 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 14 °CJF: 15 °CFM: 15 °CMA: 17 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 20 °CON: 16 °CND: 14 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 78% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 21/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~2% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
57/100environmental-severity index
9.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
5 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1326 largest gas power plant of 2165 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 2165 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 789,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 33.8759, -118.2491 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Carson Cogeneration?

Carson Cogeneration is a 56 MW source-record gas power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 1990.

How much electricity does Carson Cogeneration generate?

Carson Cogeneration generates about 25 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Carson Cogeneration power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 7,057 homes.

Who operates Carson Cogeneration?

Carson Cogeneration is operated by Carson Cogeneration Co.

How much CO₂ does Carson Cogeneration emit?

Carson Cogeneration has modelled emissions of about 57,917 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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