EDP Renewables Cuts Ribbon on Scarlet I Solar Energy Park in Fresno County, CA

Tranquillity, California, July 17, 2024   — EDP Renewables North America LLC (EDPR NA), a leading renewable energy developer and a top five renewable energy owner and operator in the United States, proudly unveiled its Scarlet I Solar Energy Park (Scarlet I) in Fresno County, California today during a ribbon cutting hosting dozens of dignitaries and industry partners. The 200 megawatt (MW) project, which also 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.

Scarlet I has two executed power purchase agreements (PPAs), 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 (SJCE) 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,” added 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,” noted Lori Mitchell, Director, 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.”

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 towards 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.

EDPR NA’s commitment to Fresno County has remained strong, with the company being a proud member of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corporation and engaging the local community through sponsorship of the 2023 State of the County event and the 2023 Fresno County Fair.

“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.”

EDPR NA is a key renewable energy leader in California. The company’s operational footprint of 248 MW 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.

About EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA)
EDP Renewables North America LLC (EDPR NA), its affiliates, and its subsidiaries develop, construct, own, and operate wind farms, solar parks, and energy storage systems throughout North America. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, with 61 wind farms, 17 solar parks, and eight regional offices across North America, EDPR NA has developed more than 11,000 megawatts (MW) and operates more than 10,000 MW of onshore utility-scale renewable energy projects. With more than 1,000 employees, EDPR NA’s highly qualified team has a proven capacity to execute projects across the continent.  

For more information, visit www.edpr.com/north-america and follow us on LinkedIn. 

About EDP Renewables 
EDP Renewables (Euronext: EDPR) is a global leader in renewable energy development with a presence in 28 regions in Europe, North America, South America and Asia-Pacific. With headquarters in Madrid and leading regional offices in Houston, São Paulo and Singapore, EDPR has a sound development portfolio of top-level assets and market-leading operating capacity in renewable energies. Particularly worthy of note are onshore wind, distributed and large-scale solar, offshore wind (OW - through a 50/50 joint venture), and technologies to complement renewables such as storage and green hydrogen. 

EDPR's employee-centered policies have received recognition such as Top Workplace 2023 in the USA, Top Employer 2023 in Europe (Spain, Italy, France, Romania, Greece, Portugal and Poland) Colombia and Brazil, and are also included in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index. 

EDPR is a division of EDP (Euronext: EDP), a leader in the energy transition with a focus on decarbonization. Besides its strong presence in renewables (with EDPR and hydro operations), EDP has an integrated utility presence in Portugal, Spain and Brazil including electricity networks, client solutions and energy management. 

EDP – EDPR’s main shareholder – has been listed on the Dow Jones Index for 16 consecutive years, recently being named the most sustainable electricity company on the Index. 
 

About Ava Community Energy (Ava)
Ava Community Energy (Ava), formerly East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), is the not-for-profit public power provider for more than 1.7 million residents and commercial customers in Alameda County and the City of Tracy, with service extending to the San Joaquin County cities of Stockton and Lathrop in 2025. Ava is committed to creating a brighter future in our communities and beyond by providing clean power at competitive rates, reinvesting in our member communities, and developing programs that make it easy for customers to discover, try and adopt clean energy solutions. To date, Ava has saved customers more than $100 million and contracted for more than one gigawatt of renewable energy projects. 
For more information about Ava Community Energy, visit avaenergy.org.

About San José Clean Energy (SJCE)
San José Clean Energy (SJCE) is the local, not-for-profit electricity generation provider for homes and businesses in the City of San José. SJCE is operated by the City’s Energy Department and governed by the City Council. SJCE provides over 350,000 customer accounts with clean energy at competitive rates plus the additional benefits of customer choice, community programs, local control, transparency, and accountability. For more information, please visit www.SanJoseCleanEnergy.org. 
Follow SJCE on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn @SJCleanEnergy.

Media contacts

Tom Weirich 
EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) 
E: thomas.weirich@edp.com 
C:281-825-2771  

Dan Lieberman 
Ava Community Energy (formerly East Bay Community Energy)
E: dlieberman@avaenergy.org 
C: 925-579-1591