Timeline of the largest PV power stations
In this subcategory, we have compiled a timeline of the most essential milestones in the history of solar photovoltaic systems. The list includes the largest PV stations and parks throughout the world. They range from the very first large-scale PV plant with a capacity of only 1MW to the huge GW-scale solar PV farms.
| Year | Name of PV power station | Country | Developer | Capacity MW | Location | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Lugo | USA | Arco Solar | 1 | map | First MW plant |
| 1985 | Carrisa Plain | USA | Arco Solar | 5.6 | map | World's largest at the time |
| 2005 | Bavaria Solarpark (Mühlhausen) | Germany | SunPower | 6.3 | map | The Bavaria Solarpark is a group of three photovoltaic power stations in different locations in Germany. |
| 2006 | Erlasee Solar Park | Germany | Solon SE | 11.4 | map | The plant cost €70 million and covers an area of 77 hectares (190 acres). |
| 2008 | Olmedilla Photovoltaic Park | Spain | Nobesol | 60 | map | The plant employs more than 270,000 conventional solar panels. |
| 2010 | Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant | Canada | First Solar, Inc. | 97 | map | It is Canada's largest photovoltaic plant with an installed capacity of 97 MWP |
| 2011 | Huanghe Hydropower Golmud Solar Park | China | Longyuan Power | 200 | map | The project won the 2012 China Quality Power Project Award. |
| 2012 | Agua Caliente Solar Project | USA | First Solar, Inc. | 290 | map | 290MWAC project was completed in April 2014 |
| 2014 | Topaz Solar Farm | USA | First Solar, Inc. | 550 | map | 550 MWAC photovoltaic power station in San Luis Obispo County, California. |
| 2015 | Longyangxia Dam Solar Park | China | State Power Investment Cooperation | 850 | map | 320 MW Phase I Completed in December 2013, 530 MW phase II in 2015 |
| 2016 | Tengger Desert Solar Park | China | China National Grid and Zhongwei Power Supply Co. | 1547 | map | It is located in Zhongwei, Ningxia, China. It currently covers a larger area 43 km2. |
| 2019 | Pavagada Solar Park | India | Karnataka Solar Power Development Corporation Limited, a joint venture between Solar Energy Corporation of India and Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited | 2050 | map | Spread over a total area of 13,000 acres (53 km2) in Pavagada taluk |
Timeline of the largest PV plants, solar farms, PV parks.
