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Fort Rucker Solar Array

Solar power plant in Alabama, United States of America. Approximate location 31.3311, -85.7302.

SolarAlabamaUnited States of America

Fort Rucker Solar Array is a 11 MW solar power plant in Alabama, United States of America. It is operated by Alabama Power Co. Based on reported annual generation of 14 GWh, it can supply roughly 4.1k homes. It ranks #5588 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2017, it is around 9 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 8.6% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

11Source-backed capacity
14GWh reported / yr
4,057homes powered
2017commissioned (~9 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0060679.

Data status

Known data

FacilityFort Rucker Solar Array WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Alabama WRI
Coordinates31.3311, -85.7302 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity11 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAlabama Power Co WRI
Commissioned2017 WRI
GWh reported / yr14 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#5588 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#541 of 3283 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.53× · 3 MW median · 3283 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent4,057 calculated from reported generation
Climate18.7°C · HDD 905 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 42/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

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 L100000813048); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 11 MW, Fort Rucker Solar Array is well above the median solar plant in United States of America (3 MW). Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

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

Reported generation trend

2017: 16 GWh20172018: 13 GWh20182019: 14 GWh201916 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Alabama Power Co. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 31.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

18.7°Cannual mean temp
905heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,187cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
92 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 9 °CJF: 11 °CFM: 15 °CMA: 18 °CAM: 23 °CMJ: 26 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 25 °CSO: 19 °CON: 14 °CND: 10 °CD27 °C

Heating degree-days here run 63% 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: 25/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 0.7% at warm-season highs here (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 a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
42/100environmental-severity index
18.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
117 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 #541 largest solar power plant of 3283 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 3283 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 38,093 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 31.3311, -85.7302 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Fort Rucker Solar Array?

Fort Rucker Solar Array is a 11 MW source-record solar power plant in Alabama, United States of America, commissioned in 2017.

How much electricity does Fort Rucker Solar Array generate?

Fort Rucker Solar Array generates about 14 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Fort Rucker Solar Array power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 4,057 homes.

Who operates Fort Rucker Solar Array?

Fort Rucker Solar Array is operated by Alabama Power Co.

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