Utility Scale

EDP Renewables cuts ribbon on 200 MW solar + storage park in Fresno County

EDP Renewables cuts ribbon on 200 MW solar + storage park in Fresno County
EDPR North America employees cut the ribbon at Scarlet I alongside dignitaries and industry partners (courtesy: EDP Renewables)

EDP Renewables North America, a leading U.S. renewable energy developer, proudly unveiled its Scarlet I Solar Energy Park (Scarlet I) in Fresno County, California Wednesday during a ribbon cutting that hosted dozens of dignitaries and industry partners.

The 200 MW project, which includes a 40 MW battery energy storage system (BESS), will generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 68,000 average California homes each year. The project is actively exploring agrivoltaics possibilities, including sheep grazing on site after a recent trial run utilizing locally sourced sheep.

This newest solar + storage facility builds upon EDPR NA’s existing 248 MW operational footprint in California, which is spread across three phases of the Rising Tree Wind Farm in Kern County, two phases of the Lone Valley Solar Park in San Bernardino County, and the Windhub A Solar Park in Kern County. EDPR NA also has several additional California projects in late-stage development including the 200 MW Scarlet II Solar Energy Park, which also includes 150 MW of BESS, and the 300 MW Sandrini Solar Park located in Kern County.

“California remains a priority state for EDPR NA’s development efforts, and we are pleased to finalize this significant solar + storage project in The Golden State,” stated Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDP Renewables North America. “Scarlet I will be a benchmark project as we look to develop additional hybrid multi-technology renewable projects across our portfolio and contribute further to grid resiliency.”

GO DEEPER: Lucy Bullock-Sieger, vice president of strategy for developer Lightstar Renewables, joined Episode 46 of the Factor This! podcast to discuss a new approach to agrivoltaics. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Scarlet I has two executed power purchase agreements (PPAs), which were previously announced. They are with Ava Community Energy (previously known as East Bay Community Energy) for 100 MW of solar and 30 MW of BESS and San José Clean Energy (SJCE) for 100 MW of solar and 10 MW of BESS.

“We’re excited for the commencement of Scarlet I as it plays a key role in Ava achieving our goal of providing 100% carbon-free electricity to all customers by 2030,” said Howard Chang, CEO of Ava Community Energy. “Working with EDPR NA ensured that our investment in renewables – and making it easy for our customers to transition to clean and reliable energy while saving on monthly energy bills – is happening.”

“This project will help us keep our commitment to providing clean energy for residents and businesses at competitive rates, while also offering community programs, local control, and more transparency and accessibility,” added Lori Mitchell, director at San José Clean Energy. “In sourcing and building clean and affordable renewables, we’re committed to advancing a more reliable and sustainable power grid for California.”

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