8minutenergy Renewables, LLC partnered with German company Saferay, Inc. to sign a 20-year power-purchase agreement with Southern California Edison (SCE) on April 1. Under the PPA, the two companies will sell power produced from the 20 megawatt Redcrest Solar Farm project in Kern County, Calif.

"We are grateful that SCE has awarded this PPA in its competitive RAM process. This is the third PPA in the last 12 months that we've secured, for a total capacity of over 325MW," said 8minutenergy Renewables CEO Martin Hermann. 

8minutenergy has focussed on installing solar farms exclusively on previously disturbed lands and the Redcrest farm is no exception. It’s sited on 160 acres of low-productivity farmland, according to the company. The approach helps the company move more quickly on projects, by easing the permitting process.

The company already has an impressive pipeline of projects. It’s currently building out the first phase 260 megawatt phase of the 800 megawatt Mount Signal Solar Farm in Imperial Valley, Calif., and has signed up $1 billion in PPAs. It has also signed 1 gigawatt in interconnection agreements, and more.

Construction on the Redcrest Solar Farm is expected to begin in 2014 and is expected to be fully operational by mid-2015, the company said. "We are pleased that utilities and county, state and local officials have confidence in the ability of 8minutenergy and saferay to deliver on our solar projects,” Hermann said.

For this partnership, 8minutenergy subsidiary, 67RK 8ME, LLC, is working with saferay. The latter is an independent solar power producer and EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) firm that owns more than 160 MWs of PV and has installed more than 250 MWs of PV around the world. "We are excited that our project with 8minutenergy received a PPA from SCE, and we are very appreciative of the strong local support for this project," said saferay CEO Boris Schubert.
 
"The Redcrest Solar Farm will generate jobs and contribute to the local economy, while creating renewable energy that will abet SCE's efforts to help the state meet its 33 percent RPS mandate," said 8minutenergy President Tom Buttgenbach. The company said construction of the Redcrest Solar Farm will create more than 50 direct and 100 indirect jobs.

While SCE has signed up for the project, the California Public Utilities Commission must sign off on it before construction can get underway.