Image: Intersect Power
The California Energy Commission (CEC) has granted approval to the Darden Clean Energy Project—a landmark 4.6 GW battery storage system paired with 1.1 GW of solar power—under its newly launched Opt-in Certification program. This marks the world’s largest battery storage project to date.
The project will use 300 million solar modules to power 850,000 California homes for four hours, situated on 9,500 acres of agriculturally degraded land in Fresno County.
The Opt-in Certification Program (authorized by 2022’s Assembly Bill 205) mandates CEC to review applications within 30 days and complete environmental assessments in 270 days. This accelerates California’s mandate for 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2045.
California leads the U.S. in battery storage, with 200+ utility-scale systems statewide. The Darden project expands developer Intersect Power’s portfolio to 2.2 GW solar and 2.4 GWh storage operational/under construction. The firm expects to break ground on an additional 4 GW of solar and 10 GWh of battery energy storage, representing around $9 billion of assets in 2025.
