The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved the Darden Clean Energy Project (DCEP), the first to be permitted under the state’s Opt-In Certification program. Once built, DCEP will be the largest battery energy storage system in the world, highlighting California’s leadership in clean energy innovation and infrastructure.
Authorized under Assembly Bill 205, the Opt-In Certification program provides a consolidated state permitting option for eligible clean energy projects, supporting California’s transition to 100 percent zero-carbon retail electric sales by 2045, as required by Senate Bill 100. Under statute, the environmental review for a project must be completed within 270 days from the point the project application is deemed complete, unless significant project changes arise that require more time to review.
“California is moving faster than ever before to build the clean energy we need—now with the world’s largest solar and battery project. With a record amount of clean energy capacity added last year, we’re creating jobs and supporting local communities—all while building a cleaner, more reliable power grid.”
– Governor Gavin Newsom.
DCEP will be built on 9,500 acres of land in western Fresno County that is no longer able to support agricultural production. The project includes a 1,150-megawatt (MW) solar facility with approximately 3.1 million panels and up to 1,150 MW (4,600 megawatt-hours) of battery storage—enough to power 850,000 homes for four hours. The project owner is IP Darden I, LLC, a subsidiary of Intersect Power.
Projects seeking approval through the Opt-In Certification program are required to provide community and economic benefits. The DCEP includes
- $2 million in community investments over the next decade, starting with a $320,000 commitment to Centro La Familia Advocacy Services, a nonprofit supporting crime victims, family wellness, and civic engagement in rural communities.
- More than 2,000 prevailing-wage construction jobs to support the local workforce throughout the construction period, which will last from 1.5 to 3 years.
- An estimated $169 million in economic benefits to the local area over the project’s lifetime, estimated at 35 years.
“Today’s clean energy projects must do more than just deliver megawatts. They should create value in the communities where they’re built. This project exemplifies a community-focused approach that advances the state’s energy goals while creating benefits for local workers and residents.”
– Noemí Gallardo, CEC Commissioner.
Battery storage systems are important for California’s clean energy future because they store excess energy produced during peak production periods and discharge it when demand is high or generation drops, like in the evening.
“The transition to 100 percent clean electricity by 2045 requires bold, utility-scale projects like Darden. This project is significant not only for its size but also for its cutting-edge design and safety measures.”
– David Hochschild, CEC Chair.
As California rapidly scales up battery storage, safety remains a top priority. In 2024, Governor Newsom initiated a state-level collaboration to continue to innovate and strengthen safety standards for battery storage systems through cross-agency collaboration. Key efforts include an update to the California Fire Code to include specific fire safety requirements for stationary lithium-ion battery storage systems and the California Public Utilities Commission’s approval of new safety standards and enhanced oversight of emergency plans for grid-scale battery energy storage systems.
California leads the U.S. and trails only China globally in battery storage capacity, with more than 200 utility-scale systems and over 250,000 commercial and residential installations, totaling more than 15,700 megawatts statewide.
The Darden project builds on a series of clean energy records recently set in California. On three out of every five days last year, California’s main grid hit 100 percent clean energy for some portion of the day. That momentum continues in 2025. So far this year, the main grid has reached 100 percent clean energy on 138 out of 151 days, or 91 percent of days through May. In 2024, the state added 7,000 megawatts of clean energy capacity to the grid—the largest single-year increase in state history—and added 25,000 megawatts of capacity over the past five years.
