Many countries and territories have installed significant solar power capacity into their electrical grids to supplement or provide an alternative to conventional energy sources. Solar power plants use one of two technologies:
India's solar power installed capacity was 90.76 GW AC as of 30 September 2024. India is the third largest producer of solar power globally.
Topaz Solar Farm is a 550 megawatt (MWAC) photovoltaic power station in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Construction on the project began in November 2011 and ended in November 2014. It is one of the world's largest solar farms. The $2.5 billion project includes 9 million CdTe photovoltaic modules based on thin-film technology, manufactured by U.S. company First Solar. The company also built, operates and maintains the project for MidAmerican Renewables, a Berkshire Hathaway company. Pacific Gas and Electric will buy the electricity under a 25-year power purchase agreement. According to First Solar, it created about 400 construction jobs.
Solar power in Nevada is growing due to a Renewable Portfolio Standard which requires 50% renewable energy by 2030. The state has abundant open land areas and some of the best solar potential in the country.
Solar power in Arizona has the potential to, according to then-Governor Janet Napolitano, make Arizona "the Persian Gulf of solar energy". In 2012, Arizona had 1,106 MW of photovoltaic (PV) solar power systems, and 6 MW of concentrated solar power (CSP), bringing the total to over 1,112 megawatts (MW) of solar power. As an example, the Solana Generating Station, a 280 MW parabolic trough solar plant, when commissioned in 2013, was the largest parabolic trough plant in the world and the first U.S. solar plant with molten salt thermal energy storage.
Solar power in Gujarat, a state of India, is a fast developing industry given that the large state is mostly arid. It was one of the first states to develop solar generation capacity in India.
Adani Power is an Indian multinational power and energy company, subsidiary of Adani Group and based in Khodiyar in Ahmedabad, India. It is a private thermal power producer, with a capacity of 15,250 MW and operates a mega solar plant of 40 MW at Naliya, Bitta, Kutch, Gujarat. Adani Godda Power is implementing a 1,600 MW plant at Jharkhand. The company has signed long term power purchase agreements of about 9,153 MW with the government of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Punjab.
The Agua Caliente Solar Project is a 290 megawatt (MWAC) photovoltaic power station, built in Yuma County, Arizona using 5.2 million cadmium telluride modules made by the U.S. thin-film manufacturer First Solar. It was the largest solar facility in the world when the project was commissioned in April 2014.
Mithapur Solar Power Plant is a 25 MW solar power plant located in Mithapur, Gujarat. It is expected to produce 40,734 MWh/year. 108,696 230 Wp panels were used.
Solar power in France including overseas territories reached an installed capacity figure of 11.2 GW in 2020, and rose further to 17.1 GW at the end of 2022. Government plans announced in 2022 foresee solar PV capacity in France rising to 100 GW by 2050.
Solar power in Florida has been increasing, as the cost of solar power systems using photovoltaics (PV) has decreased in recent years. Florida has low electricity costs compared with other states, which makes individual solar investment less attractive. Florida ranks ninth nationally in solar resource strength according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and tenth in solar generation by the Solar Energy Industries Association.
The Dhirubhai Ambani Solar Park at Dhursar village near Pokhran in the Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan is a 40 megawatt (MWAC) photovoltaic power station, set up in 129 days and commissioned in 2012. It is one of a large number of solar parks expected to be built in a 35,000 km2 area of the Thar Desert that has been reserved for solar power projects. The solar park was named after the late Dhirubhai Ambani, the founder of Reliance Industries, and was constructed using 500,000 Cadmium telluride photovoltaics (CdTe) modules by First Solar, and covers an area of 350 acres.
Kamuthi Solar Power Project is a photovoltaic power station spread over an area of 2,500 acres (10 km2) in Kamuthi, Ramanathapuram district, 90 km from Madurai, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The project was commissioned by Adani Power. With a generating capacity of 648 MWp at a single location, it is the world's 12th largest solar park based on capacity.
The CIAL Solar Power Project is a 50 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic power station built at Cochin International Airport, India, by the company Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL). Cochin International Airport became the first fully solar powered airport in the world with the commissioning the plant.
Gujarat Solar Park-1 is a solar power plant near Charanka village in Patan district of Gujarat, India. It is spread over an area of 2,000 hectares(4,900 acres). It has installed generation capacity of about 600 MW, as 2018. More 190 MW are under installation.
Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) is an Indian renewable energy company, headquartered in Ahmedabad, India. It is majority-owned by Indian conglomerate Adani Group and minority-owned by TotalEnergies. The company operates Kamuthi Solar Power Project, one of the largest solar photovoltaic plants in the world.
The Gujarat Hybrid Renewable Energy Park or Khavda Solar Park is an under construction renewable energy park located near Vighakot village in Kutch district of Gujarat, India. It is located very close to the international border with Pakistan. It is expected to generate 30 gigawatt (GW) electricity from both solar panels and wind turbines when completed, over an area of 72,600 hectares (726 km2). 1 GW capacity was commissioned in March 2024.
Vankal Solar Park is a 20-megawatt solar power plant located in Vankal, Khawzawl district, Mizoram, in Northeast India. It is Mizoram's first and largest photovoltaic power plant.
