Pioneer Community Energy (Pioneer), the Placer County, Calif. community choice aggregator, entered into a resource adequacy purchase agreement with an affiliate of RAI Energy International, Inc. (RAI Energy), the Silicon Valley-based global energy development company. Resource adequacy agreements help load-serving entities, like Pioneer, maintain generating capacity and meet electrical demand for California homes and businesses.

Under the terms of the agreement, RAI Energy’s Gas Co Road solar and energy storage project in Kern County, Calif. will deliver 7.1 MW of system resource adequacy over the course of 10 years. One megawatt can power approximately 500 average homes for one hour.

“Providing grid resiliency for our customers through the addition of resource adequacy has always been a priority for Pioneer,” said Rocklin Mayor Greg Janda, current chair of the Pioneer Governing Board.  “Working with an experienced developer like RAI Energy helps ensure that the project will be online in time to help address California’s future energy constraints, as witnessed by the recent rolling blackouts.”

RAI Energy, through its affiliate GasCo Rd LLC, will develop, design, permit, construct, own, and operate the project. The project is expected to begin operations in August 2021. In addition to the Gas Co Road project in Kern County, RAI Energy has solar and energy storage projects under development throughout California.

“We are excited to partner with a progressive community choice aggregator like Pioneer,” stated RAI Energy CEO Mohammed Alrai. “The Gas Co Road project will be the newest addition to our growing California solar and storage portfolio pipeline. As a California-based developer, we remain committed to helping California reach its renewable energy goals and supporting customers like Pioneer in protecting communities from public safety power shutoffs.”

About RAI Energy:  Based in Silicon Valley, Calif., RAI Energy International, Inc. is a global renewable energy development company. RAI Energy has successfully developed more than 400 MW of utility-scale and distributed generation solar PV in North America and overseas. In addition, the company has a robust portfolio of energy storage projects in California, Arizona, and Texas. For more information on RAI Energy, please visit its website at www.raienergy.com.