RCWD PV Project — United States of America

Solar power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 33.5226, -117.1815.

SolarCaliforniaUnited States of America

RCWD PV Project is a 4.1 MW solar power plant in California, United States of America. It is operated by Solar Star California XL LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 10 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.9k homes. It ranks #7480 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2016, it is around 10 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).

4.1MW installed capacity
10GWh reported / yr
2,885homes powered
2016commissioned (~10 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0060426.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRCWD PV Project WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates33.5226, -117.1815 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity4.1 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000814639; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerSolar Star California XL LLC WRI
Commissioned2016 WRI
GWh reported / yr10 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#7480 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1404 / 3283 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.37× · 3 MW · n=3283 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,885 calculated from reported generation
Climate17.1°C · HDD 942 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot 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 4 MW for RCWD PV Project solar farm, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000814639; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 4.1 MW, RCWD PV Project 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.

Key facts

Load factor
28%, from 10 GWh of reported generation; the median for 3185 solar plants in United States of America that report generation is 19%
Generation trend
5 GWh in 2016 and 10 GWh in 2019 (+94%)
Highest and lowest year
2018: 11 GWh; 2016: 5 GWh
Share of United States of America solar capacity
less than 0.1% of 38,093 MW across 3,283 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
1,280 of 3,277 dated solar plants in United States of America are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Reported generation trend

2016: 5 GWh20162017: 9 GWh20172018: 11 GWh20182019: 10 GWh201911 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Solar Star California XL LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 33.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.1°Cannual mean temp
942heating degree-days (base 18°C)
639cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
416 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 11 °CJF: 12 °CFM: 13 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 19 °CON: 15 °CND: 12 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 62% 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: 26/100 — 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 0.0% 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

This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
13.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
87 kmdistance to coast

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 #1404 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 33.5226, -117.1815 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is RCWD PV Project?

RCWD PV Project is a 4.1 MW solar power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 2016.

How much electricity does RCWD PV Project generate?

RCWD PV Project generates about 10 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates RCWD PV Project?

RCWD PV Project is operated by Solar Star California XL LLC.

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