Home / North America / United States of America / Gulf Coast Solar Center I

Gulf Coast Solar Center I

Solar power plant in Florida, United States of America. Approximate location 30.5154, -86.5184.

SolarFloridaUnited States of America

Gulf Coast Solar Center I is a 30 MW solar power plant in Florida, United States of America. It is operated by Gulf Coast Solar Center I (CA). Based on reported annual generation of 59 GWh, it can supply roughly 17k homes. It ranks #4297 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).

30Source-backed capacity
59GWh reported / yr
16,885homes powered
2017commissioned (~9 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0059689.

Data status

Known data

FacilityGulf Coast Solar Center I WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Florida WRI
Coordinates30.5154, -86.5184 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity30 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerGulf Coast Solar Center I (CA) WRI
Commissioned2017 WRI
GWh reported / yr59 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#4297 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#258 of 3283 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers10.00× · 3 MW median · 3283 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent16,885 calculated from reported generation
Climate19.6°C · HDD 729 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 49/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 120 MW for Gulf Coast Solar Center, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: C_REVIEW_MANUAL - recommended action: manual_review_only - confidence: unknown. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 L100000805234); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 30 MW, Gulf Coast Solar Center I 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: 34 GWh20172018: 57 GWh20182019: 59 GWh201959 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Gulf Coast Solar Center I (CA).

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 30.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

19.6°Cannual mean temp
729heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,322cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
13 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 10 °CJF: 12 °CFM: 15 °CMA: 19 °CAM: 23 °CMJ: 26 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 26 °CSO: 21 °CON: 16 °CND: 12 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 70% 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: 23/100 — 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 0.9% 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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
49/100environmental-severity index
17.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
36 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 #258 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 30.5154, -86.5184 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Gulf Coast Solar Center I?

Gulf Coast Solar Center I is a 30 MW source-record solar power plant in Florida, United States of America, commissioned in 2017.

How much electricity does Gulf Coast Solar Center I generate?

Gulf Coast Solar Center I generates about 59 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Gulf Coast Solar Center I power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 16,885 homes.

Who operates Gulf Coast Solar Center I?

Gulf Coast Solar Center I is operated by Gulf Coast Solar Center I (CA).

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