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University Solar LLC

Solar power plant in Rhode Island, United States of America. Approximate location 41.6133, -71.6593.

SolarRhode IslandUnited States of America

University Solar LLC is a 24 MW solar power plant in Rhode Island, United States of America. It is operated by AES Distributed Energy. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 10k homes (estimated). It ranks #4533 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2020, it is around 6 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).

24Source-backed capacity
10,211homes powered (est.)
2020commissioned (~6 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0063668.

Data status

Known data

FacilityUniversity Solar LLC WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Rhode Island WRI
Coordinates41.6133, -71.6593 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity24 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAES Distributed Energy WRI
Commissioned2020 WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#4533 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#285 of 3283 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers8.00× · 3 MW median · 3283 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent10,211 calculated
Climate9.5°C · HDD 3,280 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 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 L100000804200); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 24 MW, University Solar LLC 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 AES Distributed Energy. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.5°Cannual mean temp
3,280heating degree-days (base 18°C)
202cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
89 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -3 °CJF: -2 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 21 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 11 °CON: 6 °CND: 1 °CD21 °C

Heating degree-days here run 33% 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: 70/100 — 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 humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
24.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
57 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 #285 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 41.6133, -71.6593 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is University Solar LLC?

University Solar LLC is a 24 MW source-record solar power plant in Rhode Island, United States of America, commissioned in 2020.

How many homes can University Solar LLC power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 10,211 homes (estimated).

Who operates University Solar LLC?

University Solar LLC is operated by AES Distributed Energy.

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