EDP Renewables North America today unveiled its Scarlet I Solar Energy Park in Fresno County, California during a ribbon-cutting hosting dozens of dignitaries and industry partners. The 200-MW project, which also includes a 40-MW battery energy storage system, will generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 68,000 average California homes each year.

Scarlet I has two executed power purchase agreements, which were announced previously, with Ava Community Energy (previously known as East Bay Community Energy) for 100 MW of solar and 30 MW of BESS and with San José Clean Energy for 100 MW of solar and 10 MW of BESS. This newest solar + storage facility builds upon EDPR NA’s existing 248 MW operational footprint in California.

The Solar Energy Park supported the creation of more than 230 construction jobs and five permanent positions dedicated to ongoing operations and routine maintenance. Scarlet I will invest millions of dollars in small businesses and the local economy over the next several decades.

“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.”

Scarlet I will be aiding the region’s water efficiency goals, with the project estimated to save more than 254 million gallons of water each year that would have otherwise been consumed by conventional generation sources for equivalent energy capacity. In a nod toward advancing agrivoltaics — the dual use of land for solar energy production and agriculture — the project is actively exploring possibilities for sheep grazing on site following a recent trial run, utilizing locally sourced sheep.

“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,” said 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.”

News item from EDP Renewables North America