Palomar Energy

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 33.1197, -117.1178.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ reported

Palomar Energy is a 559 MW gas power station in California, United States of America. It is operated by San Diego Gas & Electric Co. Based on reported annual generation of 1,183 GWh, it can supply roughly 337,942 homes. It ranks #669 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2005, it is around 21 years old — relatively modern. Its measured emissions of 488,006 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 113,754 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).

559MW installed capacity
1,183GWh reported / yr
337,942homes powered
488,006t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2005commissioned (~21 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055985.

488,006 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

113,754passenger cars driven for a year
63,642homes' yearly energy use
8,133,433tree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions reported to US EPA GHGRP.

Reported generation trend

2013: 3,774 GWh20132014: 2,599 GWh20142015: 3,002 GWh20152016: 2,299 GWh20162017: 2,517 GWh20172018: 1,925 GWh20182019: 1,183 GWh20194k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by San Diego Gas & Electric Co. All plants by this company →

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 hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 33.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.6°Cannual mean temp
712heating degree-days (base 18°C)
580cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
209 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 13 °CJF: 13 °CFM: 14 °CMA: 16 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 20 °CON: 16 °CND: 13 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 71% 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.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

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.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #389 largest gas power plant of 1818 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1818 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 546,436 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 33.1197, -117.1178 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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