physics

McCoy Solar Energy Project

McCoy Solar Energy Project is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand McCoy Solar Energy Project rather than just read about it. In short: The McCoy Solar Energy Project is a 250 megawatt (MWAC) photovoltaic power plant near the city of Blythe in Riverside County, California. It occupies about 2,300 acres (930 ha) of mostly public land in the Mojave Desert.

Key takeaways

McCoy Solar Energy Project belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect McCoy Solar Energy Project to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of McCoy Solar Energy Project from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The McCoy Solar Energy Project is a 250 megawatt (MWAC) photovoltaic power plant near the city of Blythe in Riverside County, California.

It occupies about 2,300 acres (930 ha) of mostly public land in the Mojave Desert. The construction uses CdTe thin film panels from First Solar, and the output is being sold to Southern California Edison under a power purchase agreement. The project is located adjacent to the 235 MW Blythe Solar Energy Center, together forming a larger 485 MW complex. The 550 MW Desert Sunlight Solar Farm is located approximately 40 miles (64 km) west in Riverside County. The 450 MW Desert Quartzite project by First Solar, which got preliminary approval in early 2020, is also in the area.

History The project was initially proposed in early 2013 for a final capacity of 750 MW, making it potentially one of the world's largest solar plants. The planning process through both state and federal agencies was placed on an expedited approval path. The first construction phase of 250 MW started generating energy in August 2015, and reached its full capacity in June 2016. Completion of the remaining 500 MW is pending identification of a buyer for the electricity.

Electricity Production

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with McCoy Solar Energy Project

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what McCoy Solar Energy Project claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to McCoy Solar Energy Project before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about McCoy Solar Energy Project ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of McCoy Solar Energy Project

In research: McCoy Solar Energy Project appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses McCoy Solar Energy Project in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: McCoy Solar Energy Project is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2016 establishments in California, Buildings and structures in Riverside County, California, Energy infrastructure completed in 2016, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for McCoy Solar Energy Project outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study McCoy Solar Energy Project in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what McCoy Solar Energy Project means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain McCoy Solar Energy Project out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is McCoy Solar Energy Project in simple terms?

The McCoy Solar Energy Project is a 250 megawatt (MWAC) photovoltaic power plant near the city of Blythe in Riverside County, California. It occupies about 2,300 acres (930 ha) of mostly public land in the Mojave Desert.

Why does McCoy Solar Energy Project matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study McCoy Solar Energy Project?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on McCoy Solar Energy Project.