Cogentrix’s Alamosa Solar facility begins commercial operation

May 11, 2012
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

The Alamosa Solar Generating plant is being called the world’s largest concentrating PV electric power generating facility and Cogentrix Energy advised that it has finally begun commercial operation. Located in San Luis Valley in Colorado, the 30MW site produces energy for customers of Xcel Energy’s subsidiary, Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo).

Built across 225 acres of land, and constructed by MA Mortenson, the Alamosa project uses over 500 dual-axis, pedestal mounted tracker assemblies, which each generate around 60kW of electricity. Each tracker is 70 feet wide by 50 feet high and contains 7,560 Fresnel lenses.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Tom Bonner, president of Cogentrix stated, “Cogentrix has a long history of developing, constructing, and operating power plants employing a variety of technologies. We’re proud of the Alamosa Solar project and we are excited for what it means to Colorado, Xcel Energy and the US solar sector”.

Read Next

December 4, 2025
High power prices and increased energy storage usage have led to a sharp increase in self-consumption of solar power in Germany since 2022, according to data from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE).
December 4, 2025
The Italian government has granted awards to 474 solar PV projects, with a combined capacity of 7.698GW, under the FER X programme.
Sponsored
December 4, 2025
LONGi  unveiled its energy storage strategy in London last week, officially announcing its entry into the storage sector with the launch of the LONGi Energy Storage One-Stop Solution.
Premium
December 4, 2025
Module quality issues, such as glass breakage, UVID and delamination, featured heavily in the discussions at PV ModuleTech Europe this week.
December 4, 2025
Nextpower, formerly Nextracker, will double its steel solar tracker manufacturing capacity in Tennessee and has established a new “regional hub” in the Southeast US.
December 4, 2025
Australia generated 5,271GWh of utility-scale solar PV and wind power in November 2025, a 28% increase from the same period last year.

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Webinars
December 17, 2025
2pm GMT / 3pm CET
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
April 15, 2026
Milan, Italy
Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA