By Kari Williamson

The solar PV plant, which is expected to be finished in 2014, is being built by First Solar Inc.

The 2400-acre solar PV installation will consist of First Solar’s thin-film solar modules and over 400 SMA Sunny Central 720CP inverters.

“The challenging environmental conditions and high quality expectations of our partners made the Sunny Central 720CP an ideal choice for this ground-breaking solar project,” says Jurgen Krehnke, President and General Manager of SMA America.

Sunny Central CP inverters, with peak efficiencies of over 98%, are specially designed for use in large, open-field solar PV power plants such as Agua Caliente.

In continuous operation, the Sunny Central 720CP can feed 792 kVA to the grid at ambient temperatures of up to 25°C — 110% rated nominal power, resulting in increased power production.

The Agua Caliente solar PV plant is owned by NRG Energy and the output will be sold to Pacific Gas and Electric.