The world's largest solar power plant is now up and running on California's Carrisa Plains. The 550-megawatt project, called Topaz, is owned by MidAmerican Energy and was built by First Solar, a photovoltaic manufacturer based in Tempe, Arizona. Construction on the $2.5 billion farm took two years, with the solar farm becoming fully operational a touch before its projected 2015 launch.
First Solar says Topaz's 9 million solar panels will generate enough energy to power 160,000 homes. Mounted on steel I-beams, the panels rise about 5.5 feet off the ground, blanketing 9.5 square miles in shiny cadmium telluride. The design, First Solar says, minimizes damage to the land and wildlife, allowing plants to grow between the beams and under the panels, and animals like the San Joaquin kit fox to stay put.
Topaz's status as top dog won't last for long, though. Another 550-megawatt First Solar Project, Desert Sunlight, launches next year, and SunPower's 579-megawatt Solar Star project is also set to go fully online in 2015.
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Rachel Z. Arndt is the author of the essay collection Beyond Measure. Her writing has appeared in Quartz, The Believer, Fast Company, and elsewhere. She lives in Chicago.