20GW solar, 20GW storage plan underway in Fresno County, California

Golden State Clean Energy (GSCE) and California community choice aggregator MCE have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop up to 400MW of solar and up to 400MW of battery storage in Westlands Water District in Fresno County, California, as part of a wider 20 GW energy storage and 20 GW solar plan.

The enormous undertaking has begun with an MOU, which is part of a development programme known as the Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan, which “aims to repurpose up to 130,000 acres of drainage-impaired or water-challenged lands,” a statement said and develop transmission infrastructure, solar generation and storage.

The immediate plan for California’s Fresno County is for the companies to install 200 MW-400 MW of solar PV parks and 200 MW-400 MW of battery storage to deliver between four and eight hours of storage, with commercial operation scheduled to start between 2028 and 2030. 

The arrangement allows MCE to build the facilities directly as the developer, or buy the energy through a power purchase agreement (PPA) from other projects.

The suggested total build of up to 20GW of solar and 20GW of energy storage would potentially provide up to one-sixth of California’s electricity requirements in 2035.

Fresno County  has been the site of numerous large-scale BESS projects

Vicken Kasarjian, MCE COO, said: “This agreement with Golden State Clean Energy allows MCE to be deeply involved in the planning process for these resources. The project could provide MCE with a valuable solar and storage project and is a unique opportunity to build something really tailored to the needs of our customers and California as a whole.”

Patrick Mealoy, COO at Golden State Clean Energy, added: “We are thrilled that MCE will be the first customer in the Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan. The plan is expected to benefit the communities in the valley by creating jobs, preserving family farms, while significantly bringing California closer to achieving its clean energy goals.”