EDF Renewables North America (EDFR) and Power Sustainable Energy Infrastructure Inc. (PSEI) have announced the commercial operation of the Desert Quartzite Solar+Storage Project, which began producing power in December 2024. The project, located on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in Riverside County, California, delivers electricity to Clean Power Alliance (CPA) under a 20-year power purchase agreement.

The 375 MWdc/300 MWac solar farm is paired with a 150 MWac/4-hour battery energy storage system (BESS), allowing stored solar power to be dispatched later in the day or night to balance demand and stabilize the grid.

"This project highlights the critical role of battery storage in ensuring reliable and clean energy supply," said Devon Muto, Vice President, West Development at EDF Renewables. "We are also proud to have created 450 jobs during peak construction, with an exemplary safety record."

"This marks an important step in our expansion into California's utility-scale market," added Pierre-Olivier Perras, Managing Partner at PSEI.

At full capacity, Desert Quartzite will generate enough energy to power over 163,000 California homes, avoiding 669,000 metric tons of COâ‚‚ emissions annually--equivalent to removing 145,000 cars from the road.

With this project, EDF Renewables and PSEI continue to contribute to the energy transition, reinforcing California's commitment to clean energy and carbon reduction.