Utility-Scale Solar Technologies

The type of technology chosen for a utility-scale solar project influences a project’s efficiency as well as its ecological impacts. The following pages describes in detail the various technologies currently proposed in right-of-way applications as well as several that are currently in development. Also included is a discussion of the key considerations project developers take into account when selecting the type of technology to be used for a utility-scale solar project. The Site-Level Solar Development and Ecological Impacts and Landscape-Level Solar Development and Ecological Impacts sections focus on the ecological impact implications of these utility-scale facilities.

The following sections provide detailed descriptions of the various solar technologies mentioned above, including a discussion of various cooling system types developers are considering for use in utility-scale facilities. A complete list of utility-scale solar projects in operation or development for the region is included in Appendix B.