MESQUITE SOLAR 1
OperatingSolar power plant
- Capacity
- 170 MW
- Primary fuel
- Solar
- County
- Maricopa County
- Operator
- MESQUITE SOLAR 1 LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2011
- EIA plant ID
- 57707
- Generators
- 12
- Technology
- Solar Photovoltaic
- Net generation (2024)
- 401 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 27%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 33.3418, -112.9040
MESQUITE SOLAR 1, a 170 MW Solar power plant in Maricopa County, Arizona. Operated by MESQUITE SOLAR 1 LLC, commissioned 2011.
How MESQUITE SOLAR 1 compares
With 170 MW of capacity, MESQUITE SOLAR 1 ranks 33rd among the 71 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Arizona and 3rd of the 26 operating Solar plants in the state. It accounts for about 13% of Arizona's operating Solar capacity and 0.6% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 17th-largest of the 639 operating Solar plants in the database. Commissioned in 2011, it is newer than 59% of the 69 operating Arizona plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Maricopa County with 28 other operating plants, including PALO VERDE and SANTAN.
EIA-860 lists 12 generators at the site with 170 MW of nameplate capacity, all solar photovoltaic technology. Net generation was 401 GWh in 2024 (a 27% capacity factor), down 3% from 2022. Its generators came online between 2011 and 2012.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is DYNERGY ARLINGTON VALLEY ENERGY FACILITY, about 0.9 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 500 kV line owned by ARIZONA PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY, about 0.8 miles away. Another 9 operating power plants totaling 8,930 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is PALO VERDE (4,209 MW, Nuclear). Within 50 miles is one mapped data center, Digital Realty PHX10 (120 E Van Buren) in Phoenix, about 48.6 miles away.
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records, EIA-860/923 survey data and PeeringDB data center locations; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
MESQUITE SOLAR 1 is a 170 MW solar power plant in Maricopa County, AZ, operated by MESQUITE SOLAR 1 LLC, commissioned in 2011. Maricopa County carries elevated modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.7 of 5 at the 42nd national percentile. Wildfire is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 85th percentile.
Maricopa County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Share of modeled loss | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 85th | 4.4 of 5 | 5% | <0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Very High | 85th | 4.4 of 5 | 10% | 8.5 |
| Heat wave | Very High | 71st | 3.9 of 5 | <1% | 19.8 |
| Hail | Very High | 56th | 3.2 of 5 | 84% | 0.28 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 49th | 3.0 of 5 | <1% | 0.01 |
| Strong wind | Very High | 19th | 1.8 of 5 | 1% | 1.4 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 7th | 1.3 of 5 | <1% | 0.57 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | <1% | 32.3 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 1st | 1.1 of 5 | <1% | 0.57 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 0th | 1.0 of 5 | <1% | 0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Maricopa County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Ice storm | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Hail exposure and deductible structure
Hail scores 3.2 of 5, which sits in the 2% to 5% percentage deductible range carriers are quoting for that exposure. Named windstorm and severe convective wind score 1.8 of 5, indicating a 1% to 1% wind deductible. Ranges, not single figures. The final structure is set by the carrier.
Percentage hail deductible range: 2% to 5% of insured value. Wind deductible range: 1% to 1%. These are the structures commonly seen at this exposure, not an offer and not a rate.
Modeled annual loss for a 170 MW solar array
At an assumed replacement value of $0.90 per watt, or $153.0M insured, the modeled expected annual loss for a fixed tilt ground mount array in Maricopa County is $103,531 a year, $609 per MW, 0.07% of insured value.
Heat is modeled as a production risk rather than a property loss: 2.1% of annual yield in this county.
Insurability signal: Standard. Hail carries 84% of modeled loss.
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Maricopa County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile, and the modeled loss applies the Bywatts solar vulnerability layer. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level. The solar vulnerability layer that turns FEMA building loss into modeled solar loss was derived by Bywatts and revised on physical reasoning. It has not been reviewed by a practising underwriter.