HECATE ENERGY BEACON SOLAR 4
OperatingSolar power plant
- Capacity
- 50 MW
- Primary fuel
- Solar
- County
- Kern County
- Operator
- HECATE ENERGY BEACON SOLAR 4 LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2016
- EIA plant ID
- 59317
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Solar Photovoltaic
- Net generation (2024)
- 115 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 26%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 35.2536, -118.0269
HECATE ENERGY BEACON SOLAR 4, a 50 MW Solar power plant in Kern County, California. Operated by HECATE ENERGY BEACON SOLAR 4 LLC, commissioned 2016.
How HECATE ENERGY BEACON SOLAR 4 compares
With 50 MW of capacity, HECATE ENERGY BEACON SOLAR 4 ranks 249th among the 874 operating power plants Bywatts maps in California and 32nd of the 303 operating Solar plants in the state. It accounts for about 0.7% of California's operating Solar capacity and under 0.1% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 46th-largest of the 639 operating Solar plants in the database. Commissioned in 2016, it is newer than 95% of the 859 operating California plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Kern County with 118 other operating plants, including LA PALOMA GENERATING LLC and PASTORIA ENERGY FACILITY LLC.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 50 MW of nameplate capacity, all solar photovoltaic technology. Net generation was 115 GWh in 2024 (a 26% capacity factor), down 8% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is BARREN RIDGE (230 kV), about 2.0 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line, about 1.0 miles away. Another 51 operating power plants totaling 3,133 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is PINYON PINE I (168 MW, Wind).
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
HECATE ENERGY BEACON SOLAR 4 is a 50 MW solar power plant in Kern County, CA, operated by HECATE ENERGY BEACON SOLAR 4 LLC, commissioned in 2016. Kern County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.7 of 5 at the 18th national percentile. Wildfire is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 98th percentile.
Kern County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Share of modeled loss | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 69% | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 97th | 4.9 of 5 | 16% | 0.08 |
| Heat wave | Relatively High | 79th | 4.2 of 5 | <1% | 7.5 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively High | 55th | 3.2 of 5 | 14% | 5.6 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | <1% | 0.06 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | <1% | 0.37 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | <1% | 5.4 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 2nd | 1.1 of 5 | <1% | 8.0 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 0th | 1.0 of 5 | <1% | 0.10 |
Perils not assessed in Kern 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 |
| 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 1.0 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 50 MW solar array
At an assumed replacement value of $0.90 per watt, or $45.0M insured, the modeled expected annual loss for a fixed tilt ground mount array in Kern County is $13,563 a year, $271 per MW, 0.03% of insured value.
Heat is modeled as a production risk rather than a property loss: 2.4% of annual yield in this county.
Insurability signal: Standard. Wildfire carries 69% of modeled loss.
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Kern 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.