EDF Renewables North America’s (EDFR) Palen Solar site is fully operational and delivering decarbonized energy to the grid. The site includes four projects totaling 620MW DC of solar PV (PV) and 200 MWh battery energy storage.
The projects use horizontal single-axis tracking technology and are located adjacently on unincorporated land in Riverside County. This land is administered by Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This area was designated by the BLM as a Solar Energy Zone and Development Focus Area. These areas are reserved for utility-scale renewable energy development.
Maverick 1 is at 173 MWDC (125 MWAC), Maverick 4 (137 MWDC (100 MWAC), Maverick 6 (131 MWDC (100 MWAC plus 200 MWh) and Maverick 7, (179 MWDC (132 MWAC)
The projects create enough decarbonized energy to power up to 217,000 California homes. This in addition to the economic benefits to Riverside County. This is equivalent to avoiding more than 1 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions annually which represents the greenhouse gas emissions from 227,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven over the course of one year.
Construction began in 2020 with Maverick 1 & Maverick 4 and was followed by Maverick 6 & Maverick 7 in the early 2021. The projects were completed sequentially, starting in December 2020. The sites employed more than 500 workers at peak construction, most of whom were from Riverside County.
“The Maverick projects are the cornerstone of our large-scale solar and storage growth and expertise,” comment Benoit Rigal, senior vice president of implementation and projects management for EDFR. “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 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.”
EDF Renewables’ Asset Optimization group will perform operations and maintenance services for the life of the project. This group will provide remote monitoring, NERC compliance support and balance-of plant management to maximize power production.