Desert Quartzite

OperatingBESSSolarHybrid

Ranked #8 of 963 Solar plants in CA#49 of 7447 nationally

450 MW Batteries (150 MW) + Solar Photovoltaic (300 MW) operating in Riverside, CA — California Independent System Operator

EIAGEM

450 MW

Nameplate Capacity

Generators

units

Hybrid (2)

Technology

Batteries + Solar Photovoltaic

2024

Operating Since

Location

Coordinates

33.5650, -114.7530

County

Riverside, CA

Nearby Plants

Solar Blythe LLC
Solar21 MW · 3.1 km
Blythe Mesa Solar II
BESS335.6 MW · 6.0 km
Crimson
BESS350 MW · 6.1 km

Ownership & Operator

Owner data does not fully agree across sources.

EIA typically reports the operating utility, while GEM resolves to the financial owner or parent corporation. Both can be correct.

Field	EIA	GEM	Wikidata
Operator	Desert Quartzite LLC	Desert Quartzite	—
Owner(s)	Desert Quartzite LLC	EDF Renewables [100%]	—
Status	Operating	operating	—

Ownership Chain

GEM identifies the owner as EDF Renewables [100%]

This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.

About

Located in Riverside County, California, Desert Quartzite is a 450 MW hybrid power plant that began operating in 2024. The facility, owned and operated by Desert Quartzite LLC, combines solar photovoltaic generation with battery energy storage. The plant utilizes single-axis tracking for its solar panels. The battery energy storage system (BESS) has a capacity of 150 MWh and a duration of 1 hour, employing lithium-ion battery (LIB) chemistry. Desert Quartzite connects to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authority within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) region.

Desert Quartzite's latest annual generation was 822,859 MWh, resulting in a capacity factor of 20.9%. The plant is ranked as the 12th largest in California out of 112 facilities and 78th nationally out of 514. Financial data is available for the plant from sources such as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) solar energy research. The plant has been the subject of 10 news articles, with coverage focusing on industry trends, regulatory matters, and business deals.

Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources

EIA Plant Profile Global Energy Monitor

Engineering & Generators