Watervliet PV

Solar power plant in Michigan, United States of America. Approximate location 42.19, -86.23.

SolarMichiganUnited States of America

Watervliet PV is a 5 MW solar power plant in Michigan, United States of America. It is operated by Indiana Michigan Power Co. Based on reported annual generation of 6 GWh, it can supply roughly 1,742 homes. It ranks #6260 of 9,833 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).

5MW installed capacity
6GWh reported / yr
1,742homes powered
2016commissioned (~10 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0059853.

Reported generation trend

2016: 1 GWh20162017: 8 GWh20172018: 7 GWh20182019: 6 GWh20198 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Indiana Michigan Power Co. All plants by this company →

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 42.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.3°Cannual mean temp
3,444heating degree-days (base 18°C)
284cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
241 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -5 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 11 °CON: 4 °CND: -2 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 40% 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.

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.

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.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1341 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 37,970 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 42.19, -86.23 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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