IBM Solar

Solar power plant in Colorado, United States of America. Approximate location 40.0383, -105.2449.

SolarColoradoUnited States of America

IBM Solar is a 8 MW solar power plant in Colorado, United States of America. It is operated by DG Colorado Solar LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 6 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.8k homes. It ranks #6027 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2019, it is around 7 years old — recently built. 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).

8Source-backed capacity
6GWh reported / yr
1,828homes powered
2019commissioned (~7 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0063869.

Data status

Known data

FacilityIBM Solar WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Colorado WRI
Coordinates40.0383, -105.2449 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity8 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerDG Colorado Solar LLC WRI
Commissioned2019 WRI
GWh reported / yr6 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#6027 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#684 of 3283 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.70× · 3 MW median · 3283 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,828 calculated from reported generation
Climate10.2°C · HDD 3,125 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 36/100 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 L100000813438); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 8 MW, IBM Solar 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.

Capacity vs largest solar plants in United States of America

Topaz Solar Farm: 585 MW585Topaz Sola…Agua Caliente Solar Project: 348 MW348Agua Calie…Solar Star 1: 317 MW317Solar Star…Desert Sunlight 300 LLC: 312 MW312Desert Sun…Stateline Solar: 300 MW300Stateline …Mojave Solar Project: 280 MW280Mojave Sol…Solar Star 2: 279 MW279Solar Star…McCoy Solar Energy Project Hybrid: 270 MW270McCoy Sola…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by DG Colorado Solar LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.2°Cannual mean temp
3,125heating degree-days (base 18°C)
301cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,650 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -1 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 11 °CON: 4 °CND: 0 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 27% above 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: 66/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 0.0% 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
36/100environmental-severity index
23.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
1243 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 #684 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 40.0383, -105.2449 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is IBM Solar?

IBM Solar is a 8 MW source-record solar power plant in Colorado, United States of America, commissioned in 2019.

How much electricity does IBM Solar generate?

IBM Solar generates about 6 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can IBM Solar power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,828 homes.

Who operates IBM Solar?

IBM Solar is operated by DG Colorado Solar LLC.

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