Shell becomes offtaker of EDP’s 200MW California solar farm for 15 years

EDP Renewables North America has revealed that the offtaker of a previously-announced deal concerning energy from a 200MW solar park in California is Shell Energy North America.

The developer says that the Sandrini solar park, which is found in Kern County, will be operational in 2022 and cost US$200 million.

Shell Energy will be the facility’s sole offtaker via a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA). The oil and gas major has also agreed to purchase all of the facility's environmental attributes, including renewable energy credits.

Glenn Wright, president of Shell Energy North America, said that the oil and gas major recognised “that customers and communities are demanding a shift in the way power is generated and we are adapting to the demand for more clean energy solutions.”

The Sandrini solar park PPA was unveiled by EDP on October 25 with details of the plant and the buyer withheld.

The firm – whose global headquarters are in Madrid despite being owned by a Portuguese utility – claims to have now secured two-thirds of the 7GW of fresh global wind and solar installations it is targeting for the period of 2019 to 2022.

EDP already has several operational projects in California, including two phases of the Lone Valley solar park in San Bernardino County and three phases of the Rising Tree Wind Farm in Kern County. It is also developing the 200MW Sonrisa Solar Park, which will include 40MW of storage capacity, in Fresno County.

8minute's massive solar-plus-storage plant approved by City of LA

Three hours south of EDP's Sandrini solar project, LA City Council has given the all-clear to a huge hybrid project billed as the cheapest solar-plus-storage venture in US history.

The Eland hybrid project consists of 400MW of solar energy and a battery system of up to 1,200MWh, both contracted to municipal utility the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP).

US developer 8minute will build, run and maintain the solar and storage facility, set to be deployed 70 kilometres north of Los Angeles in two stages. The first stage is anticipated to complete in 2022 and the project will be fully commissioned the following year.

The LADWP has clinched 25-year PPAs for its output at record-breaking fixed tariffs for solar (US$0.01997/kWh) and energy storage (US$0.013/kWh).

The utility's Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to purchase power from the project in September.

Tags: power purchase agreements, california, usa, us, edp renewables, shell energy, los angeles department of water and power, cells and modules, utility-scale, solar-plus-storage