Solar permitting — Merced County, California

Active San Joaquin Valley solar + BESS county with flat, fallowed agricultural land and a deep pipeline (operating: Wright 200 MW, Quinto 108 MW, Vega 20 MW; approved 2024–26: Zeta 75 MW+BESS, Las Camas 200 MW; in progress: Spikes Peak 150 MW+150 MW BESS, Cougar ~200–252 MW BESS, Gonzaga Ridge wind repowering). Permitting: Conditional Use Permit under Title 18 Zoning Code for off-site "Energy Generation Facilities"; ground-mount solar setback is height-proportional (≥100% of structure height, §18.30.030(C)(2)(m)) — no fixed-footage cap. County practice: project-specific General Plan Amendment + Solar Overlay Zone + Solar Benefits Agreement, CEQA EIR, Planning Commission decision (10-day appeal). No standalone BESS or data-center ordinance and no moratorium. Political environment: 5-member nonpartisan Board (2026 Chair Daron McDaniel); every major project on record approved; opposition low and reactive. Grid: CAISO — PG&E. Developer verdict: proceed on the standard CUP pathway; for Williamson-Act land plan a Notice of Non-renewal (no new WA contracts since 2009) and confirm current conditions with the Planning Division before executing land agreements.

Key driver: Active San Joaquin Valley solar development county with flat agricultural land and growing pipeline; former Castle Air Force Base provides additional siting opportunities on non-agricultural land; PG&E transmission accessible; UC Merced campus driving population growth and some land competition; Williamson Act land removal proceeding on lower-quality soils; dairy industry proximity rules add some complexity; solid B-grade development environment

Permitting process

Local permitting pathway

Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for off-site/grid-export "Energy Generation Facilities" under Title 18 Zoning Code (Ch. 18.10 Table 2-1; CUP procedures Ch. 18.116); CEQA review (full EIR typical for utility-scale). County practice pairs a project-specific General Plan Amendment + Solar Overlay Zone + negotiated Solar Benefits Agreement. Decision by Planning Commission (appealable within 10 days). Williamson Act land: Notice of Non-renewal (9-yr) or cancellation; county has not accepted new WA contracts since 2009.

State policy & grid context

State RPS & clean energy policy

60% by 2030, 100% zero-carbon by 2045 | SB 100 (2018) + SB 1020 (2022) | Pub. Util. Code §399.11 et seq.

Battery storage (BESS) P1 State-Default Permitting

No confirmed standalone county BESS ordinance — except: San Diego County (100 ft setback from residential/institutional/educational); Los Angeles County (10 ft setback from property lines and building

Local BESS ordinances & bylaws

• No standalone Merced County BESS ordinance and no codified NFPA 855 / UL 9540 / BESS setback. Battery storage is permitted as a co-located component o

Tracked storage projects

• Zeta Solar & BESS Project (CUP22-015)75 MW / 600 MWh · approved · Longroad Energy
• Stellar Wright BESS80 MW / 320 MWh · under-construction · Stellar Renewable Power (KKR)
• Gonzaga Ridge Battery Facility50 MW / 200 MWh · planned · Scout Clean Energy

County-level battery-storage status, safety requirements, and projects — each linked to a primary source.

Community opposition P1

No organized opposition on record for this county yet — no petition, group, or oppositional coverage tracked. Absence of opposition is a positive siting signal.

Subscriber intel Subscribers

Researched for this county and available with a subscription:

• 🔒Project track record
• 🔒Developer intelligence
• 🔒Community & board sentiment
• 🔒Governing board

Energy-related meetings & dockets P1

Halo color = sentiment of the relevant agenda excerpt: green positive, yellow neutral, red negative.

• 2026-02-10 Board Of Supervisors

  Solar

  Board of Supervisors approved a 160-acre expansion for the Las Camas Solar Overlay

  agenda
• 2026-01-28 Planning Commission

  Solar

  Planning Commission heard the Las Camas Solar ~160-acre expansion (GPA25-003/ZC25-003/CUP25-016) and recommended approval to the Board; PC minutes not yet posted (outcome inferred from the Feb 10 2026 Board approval).

  agenda
• 2026-01-14 Planning Commission

  Solar

  Las Camas Solar expansion item was continued to a future meeting.

  agenda · minutes

State PSC dockets P1

No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.

Sentiment rollup P2

No sentiment rollup yet (requires meeting transcripts to be processed).

Local news P3

• 2026-05-20 Tid Canals Install Solar Panels Concept Could Spread Across Statecerescourier.com
• 2026-05-16 Water Power Combinationmantecabulletin.com
• 2025-03-05 Proposed Merced County solar and battery project faces resistance amid environmental concernskvpr.org