EDF signs PPA for 186MW California project, receives approval for 77.5MW Canada project

December 16, 2016
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
One project in Riverside County is expected to start delivering electricity to MCE in 2020. Credit: EDF

EDF Renewable Energy has signed a 20-year PPA with MCE for its 186MW Desert Harvest Solar Project in Southern California.

The project in Riverside County is expected to start delivering electricity to MCE in 2020. It is located on roughly 1,200 acres of land managed by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the largest Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) in the US. It will use horizontal single-axis trackers.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Ryan Pfaff, executive vice president of development at EDF Renewable Energy, said: “Desert Harvest represents our second collaboration with MCE, and we look forward to working with them to make the Project a success, providing a boost to the Riverside County economy in parallel through the creation of new jobs and property tax base.”

Vulcan Solar approved

In related news, EDF EN Canada, a subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles Group, has had its 77.5MW(ac) Vulcan Solar Project in Western Canada approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC).

The project located in Vulcan County near the Village of Carmangay will be the largest development of a utility-scale solar project in Alberta and Western Canada. It will include 300,000 ground-mounted solar PV panels.

It is also located within the footprint of the Blackspring Ridge Wind Project, a 300MW facility, and will be the first utility-scale hybrid renewables project in Canada.

Power will be sold into the Alberta Power Pool, energizing more than 12,000 homes and businesses across Alberta, while employing more than 270 workers during the peak of construction. Vulcan Solar can be ready for construction in Spring 2017.

EDF EN Canada vice president of development Cory Basil said: “The Alberta government has created a positive investment climate for new renewables and Vulcan Solar solidifies our commitment to investing in Alberta by working collaboratively with the communities where we do business. We look forward to constructing Vulcan Solar as soon as possible and believe it will deliver Albertans clean, renewable, low-cost energy for many years to come.”

16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2028 and beyond.
13 October 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 13-14 October 2026 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023, 2024 and 2025 were a sell out success and 2026 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

April 2, 2026
Solar manufacturer Qcells is expanding into integrated home energy systems with a new division targeting the US residential construction sector.
April 2, 2026
Monocrystalline passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) modules saw a 20% increase in average price in the US, according to Anza.
April 2, 2026
US solar manufacturer T1 Energy has produced 2.79GW of solar modules in 2025, in line with its guidance of 2.6-3GW for the year.
Premium
April 2, 2026
Analysis: Some in the US solar industry are positioning tariffs as a silver bullet for manufacturers, but it may not be as straightforward as that.
April 1, 2026
Four giant solar ‘wings’ will provide power for the first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years, due to launch later today.
March 31, 2026
GameChange Solar has completed testing of its Genius Tracker system, which yielded results of no 'meaningful power loss' in most tests.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
April 15, 2026
Milan, Italy
Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA
Solar Media Events
October 13, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland