EDF Renewables North America (EDFR) and Power Sustainable Energy Infrastructure Inc. (PSEI) announced that their jointly owned Desert Quartzite Solar+Storage Project achieved operational status in December 2024. The electricity generated from the 375 megawatt (MWdc)/300MWac solar project, combined with a 150 MWac/4-hour battery energy storage system (BESS) is delivered to Clean Power Alliance (CPA), under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
Desert Quartzite, located on Federal lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in Riverside County, California, is designed to store electricity during peak hours for solar generation in a series of batteries. This stored energy is then dispatched later in the day or night to help manage capacity demand, creating a balance between electricity generation and demand.
“EDF Renewables recognizes the growing importance of battery energy storage systems as a complementary market to our core generation business. These systems provide reliable, affordable, and clean energy even in the absence of sunlight,” said Devon Muto, Vice President, West Development at EDF Renewables. “During the peak construction phase of the project, we were able to create 450 jobs, and we are particularly proud of our safety practices which resulted in zero recordable incidents during the two-year construction phase of the project.”
“We are thrilled to be expanding our presence in the California utility-scale market,” said Pierre-Olivier Perras, Managing Partner at PSEI. “This project is a testament to the strong market fundamentals supporting renewables and battery storage in North America.”
The energy storage system not only helps to smooth electricity prices but also provides grid stability in an environmentally friendly way. This project reinforces EDF Renewables’ commitment to maximizing renewable energy’s potential and fostering the acceleration of the energy transition, contributing to the decarbonization of the economy.
At full capacity, Desert Quartzite is expected to generate enough electricity to meet the consumption needs of more than 163,000 average California homes. This is equivalent to avoiding over 669,000 metric tons of carbon (CO₂) emissions annually which represents the greenhouse gas emissions from more than 145,000 passenger vehicles driven over the course of one year, making a significant contribution to California’s efforts to combat climate change.
EDF Renewables, one of the largest renewable developers in North America, is committed to providing solutions to meet our customers’ carbon-reduction goals. With over 35 years of experience and 18 gigawatts of wind, solar, and storage projects developed, EDF Renewables provides integrated energy solutions from grid-scale power to electric vehicle charging.
