EDF Renewables North America Announces the Palen Solar Site is Fully Operational

EDF Renewables North America (EDFR) today announced that the Palen Solar site is fully operational and delivering decarbonized energy to the grid. The site consists of four projects totaling 620 megawatts (MWdc) of solar PV plus 200 MWh of battery energy storage.

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The four Maverick Projects in Riverside County California generate a total of 620 MW(dc) of decarbonized energy. (Photo: Business Wire)

The projects, which utilize horizontal single-axis tracking technology, are located adjacent to each other on unincorporated land in Riverside County, California, administered by the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The BLM designated this area as a Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) and Development Focus Area, land set aside for utility-scale renewable energy development.

• Maverick 1: 173 MWdc (125 MWac)
• Maverick 4: 137 MWdc (100 MWac)
• Maverick 6: 131 MWdc (100 MWac) plus 200 MWh (50 MW) battery storage
• Maverick 7: 179 MWdc (132 MWac)

In addition to economic benefits for Riverside County, including an average local spend of $24,000 a month during construction, the projects combined generate enough decarbonized energy to meet the consumption of up to 217,000 average California homes¹. This is equivalent to avoiding more than 1 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions annually² which represents the greenhouse gas emissions from 227,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven over the course of one year.

Construction activity commenced in early 2020 with Maverick 1 and Maverick 4, followed by Maverick 6 and Maverick 7 in early 2021. The projects were completed in sequence starting in December 2020. At peak construction, the sites employed over 500 personnel, majority of which were local to Riverside County.

Benoit Rigal, Senior Vice President, Implementation & Projects Management for EDF Renewables North America, commented, “The Maverick projects are the cornerstone of our large-scale solar and storage growth and expertise. The renewable energy industry has experienced significant volatility over the past years battling both unprecedented pandemic and supply chain constraints. We are excited to now have all four projects operating at full capacity and to contribute to California’s climate goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.”

EDF Renewables’ Asset Optimization group will perform operations and maintenance services for the life of the Project. The group will provide NERC compliance support, remote monitoring, and balance-of-plant management to maximize power production.

EDF Renewables, one of the largest renewable energy developers in North America, is committing to providing solutions to meet California’s carbon-reduction goals. With over 35 years of experience and 24 gigawatts of wind, solar, and storage projects developed, EDF Renewables North America provides integrated energy solutions from grid-scale power to electric vehicle charging.

¹ According to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2020 Residential Electricity Sales and U.S. Census Data and typical transmission assumptions.

² According to U.S. EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculations and typical transmission assumptions.

EDF Renewables North America is a market leading independent power producer and service provider with 35 years of expertise in renewable energy. The Company delivers grid-scale power: wind (onshore and offshore), solar photovoltaic, and storage projects; distributed solutions: solar and storage; and asset optimization: technical, operational, and commercial expertise to maximize performance of generating projects. The Company’s PowerFlex subsidiary offers a full suite of onsite energy solutions for commercial and industrial customers: solar, storage, EV charging, energy management systems, and microgrids. EDF Renewables’ North American portfolio consists of 24 GW of developed projects and 13 GW under service contracts. EDF Renewables North America is a subsidiary of EDF Renouvelables, the dedicated renewable energy affiliate of the EDF Group. For more information visit: www.edf-re.com. Connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

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