Natick Mall

Solar power plant in Massachusetts, United States of America. Approximate location 42.3009, -71.3843.

SolarMassachusettsUnited States of America

Natick Mall is a 3 MW solar power plant in Massachusetts, United States of America. It is operated by Natick Mall. Based on reported annual generation of 3 GWh, it can supply roughly 828 homes. It ranks #8447 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2018, it is around 8 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).

3Source-backed capacity
3GWh reported / yr
828homes powered
2018commissioned (~8 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0063290.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNatick Mall WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Massachusetts WRI
Coordinates42.3009, -71.3843 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity3 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNatick Mall WRI
Commissioned2018 WRI
GWh reported / yr3 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#8447 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1802 of 3283 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.90× · 3 MW median · 3283 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent828 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.2°C · HDD 3,412 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 34/100 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 3 MW for Natick Mall solar farm, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A2_MEDIUM_REVIEW - recommended action: manual_source_check - confidence: medium. 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 L100000814137); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 3 MW, Natick Mall is below 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 Natick Mall.

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 42.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.2°Cannual mean temp
3,412heating degree-days (base 18°C)
237cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
70 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -4 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 11 °CON: 6 °CND: 0 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 39% 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: 74/100 — this site sits in the top 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
25.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
82 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 #1802 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 42.3009, -71.3843 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Natick Mall?

Natick Mall is a 3 MW source-record solar power plant in Massachusetts, United States of America, commissioned in 2018.

How much electricity does Natick Mall generate?

Natick Mall generates about 3 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Natick Mall power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 828 homes.

Who operates Natick Mall?

Natick Mall is operated by Natick Mall.

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