DESERT SUNLIGHT 250 LLC
OperatingSolar power plant
- Capacity
- 134 MW
- Primary fuel
- Solar
- County
- Riverside County
- Operator
- FIRST SOLAR ENERGY LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2013
- EIA plant ID
- 58542
- Generators
- 9
- Technology
- Solar Photovoltaic
- Net generation (2024)
- 556 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 25%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 33.8231, -115.3939
DESERT SUNLIGHT 250 LLC, a 134 MW Solar power plant in Riverside County, California. Operated by FIRST SOLAR ENERGY LLC, commissioned 2013.
How DESERT SUNLIGHT 250 LLC compares
With 134 MW of capacity, DESERT SUNLIGHT 250 LLC ranks 123rd among the 874 operating power plants Bywatts maps in California and 15th of the 303 operating Solar plants in the state. It accounts for about 1.8% of California's operating Solar capacity and 0.2% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 21st-largest of the 639 operating Solar plants in the database. Commissioned in 2013, it is newer than 72% of the 859 operating California plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, FIRST SOLAR ENERGY LLC, runs 11 operating plants in California totaling 1,678 MW. It shares Riverside County with 51 other operating plants, including CPV SENTINEL ENERGY PROJECT and BLYTHE ENERGY INC.
EIA-860 lists 9 generators at the site with 250 MW of nameplate capacity, all solar photovoltaic technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 134 MW). Net generation was 556 GWh in 2024 (a 25% capacity factor), up 30% from 2022. Its generators came online between 2013 and 2014.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is EAGLE MT (230 kV), about 3.5 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by AZUSA LIGHT & POWER, about 1.4 miles away. One other operating power plant sits within 25 miles: DESERT SUNLIGHT 300 LLC (202 MW, Solar).
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
DESERT SUNLIGHT 250 LLC is a 134 MW solar power plant in Riverside County, CA, operated by FIRST SOLAR ENERGY LLC, commissioned in 2013. Riverside County carries elevated modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.6 of 5 at the 40th national percentile. Wildfire is the leading peril, rated Very High by FEMA at the 100th percentile.
Riverside County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Share of modeled loss | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Very High | 100th | 5.0 of 5 | 62% | 0.02 |
| Earthquake | Very High | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 12% | 0.12 |
| Riverine flooding | Very High | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 19% | 7.4 |
| Heat wave | Relatively High | 72nd | 3.9 of 5 | <1% | 13.8 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 15th | 1.6 of 5 | 6% | 0.08 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 15th | 1.6 of 5 | 1% | 0.45 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 2nd | 1.1 of 5 | <1% | 0.23 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 0th | 1.0 of 5 | <1% | 2.4 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 0th | 1.0 of 5 | <1% | 13.8 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 0th | 1.0 of 5 | <1% | 0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Riverside 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 1.6 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 1.6 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 134 MW solar array
At an assumed replacement value of $0.90 per watt, or $120.6M insured, the modeled expected annual loss for a fixed tilt ground mount array in Riverside County is $75,975 a year, $567 per MW, 0.06% of insured value.
Heat is modeled as a production risk rather than a property loss: 2.2% of annual yield in this county.
Insurability signal: Standard. Wildfire carries 62% of modeled loss.
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Riverside 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.