Canary Media: The biggest US solar-storage project yet takes shape in California

published on January 12, 2026
Written by Jeff St. John

Out in the fertile yet water-constrained farmlands of California’s western Central Valley, a massive solar, battery, and power grid project that could provide a quarter of the state’s clean energy needs by 2035 has taken a critical step forward.

In December, the board of directors of the Westlands Water District, the agency that manages water delivery to more than 600,000 acres in California’s agricultural heartland, approved the Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan. VCIP calls for building up to 21 gigawatts of solar energy and an equivalent amount of battery storage across up to 136,000 acres, along with a series of high-voltage transmission lines to connect the electricity generated to the state’s grid.

That would be the largest solar and battery project in the country, and it will take up to a decade to be completed. But Patrick Mealoy, a partner and chief operating officer of Golden State Clean Energy, the company developing the master plan in partnership with the district, said it’s expected to move quickly, with the first construction work potentially happening within the next two years.

For full article, click here: https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/biggest-us-solar-storage-project-california