CALIFORNIA VALLEY SOLAR RANCH
OperatingSolar power plant
- Capacity
- 250 MW
- Primary fuel
- Solar
- County
- San Luis Obispo County
- Operator
- HIGH PLAINS RANCH II LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2012
- EIA plant ID
- 57439
- Generators
- 5
- Technology
- Solar Photovoltaic
- Net generation (2024)
- 598 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 27%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 35.3237, -119.9166
CALIFORNIA VALLEY SOLAR RANCH, a 250 MW Solar power plant in San Luis Obispo County, California. Operated by HIGH PLAINS RANCH II LLC, commissioned 2012.
How CALIFORNIA VALLEY SOLAR RANCH compares
With 250 MW of capacity, CALIFORNIA VALLEY SOLAR RANCH ranks 61st among the 874 operating power plants Bywatts maps in California and 9th of the 303 operating Solar plants in the state. It accounts for about 3.4% of California's operating Solar capacity and 0.3% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 12th-largest of the 639 operating Solar plants in the database. Commissioned in 2012, it is newer than 63% of the 859 operating California plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares San Luis Obispo County with 5 other operating plants, including DIABLO CANYON and TOPAZ SOLAR FARM.
EIA-860 lists 5 generators at the site with 250 MW of nameplate capacity, all solar photovoltaic technology. Net generation was 598 GWh in 2024 (a 27% capacity factor), up 25% from 2022. Its generators came online between 2012 and 2013.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is CALIENTE (230 kV), about 3.8 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC COMPANY, about 3.6 miles away. Another 16 operating power plants totaling 2,719 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is LA PALOMA GENERATING LLC (1,200 MW, Natural Gas).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
CALIFORNIA VALLEY SOLAR RANCH is a 250 MW solar power plant in San Luis Obispo County, CA, operated by HIGH PLAINS RANCH II LLC, commissioned in 2012. San Luis Obispo County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.5 of 5 at the 12th national percentile. Wildfire is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 96th percentile.
San Luis Obispo County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Share of modeled loss | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 96th | 4.9 of 5 | 52% | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 95th | 4.8 of 5 | 14% | 0.11 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively High | 91st | 4.6 of 5 | 33% | 0.64 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 77th | 4.1 of 5 | <1% | 8.5 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively Low | 28th | 2.1 of 5 | 1% | 3.1 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 2nd | 1.1 of 5 | <1% | 0.09 |
| Strong wind | Very Low | 1st | 1.1 of 5 | <1% | 0.02 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 1st | 1.0 of 5 | <1% | 3.2 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 1st | 1.0 of 5 | <1% | 1.1 |
| Hail | Very Low | 0th | 1.0 of 5 | <1% | 0.05 |
Perils not assessed in San Luis Obispo 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 |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | 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 1.0 of 5, which sits in the 1% to 2% percentage deductible range carriers are quoting for that exposure. Named windstorm and severe convective wind score 1.1 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: 1% to 2% 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 250 MW solar array
At an assumed replacement value of $0.90 per watt, or $225.0M insured, the modeled expected annual loss for a fixed tilt ground mount array in San Luis Obispo County is $53,689 a year, $215 per MW, 0.02% of insured value.
Heat is modeled as a production risk rather than a property loss: 2.3% of annual yield in this county.
Insurability signal: Standard. Wildfire carries 52% of modeled loss.
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for San Luis Obispo 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.