Battery storage on your California property

Describe what could be available

Send the county, nearby town and a road or address. If you know the parcel number, include it. You can still begin without one. Explain whether you would consider a lease, sale or either, and whether the whole property or a portion could be available.

Tell us what you need to keep using: a field, building, entrance, driveway, irrigation route or tenant area. If you intend to divide or develop the rest later, mention that too. Ask any project team to show retained uses alongside its proposed equipment.

An initial property inquiry does not require a finished plan or a guessed project size. A clear description of where the land is and what you want from an arrangement gives us a useful starting point.

Ask which permit route applies

The CEC offers an optional certification route for eligible energy storage of at least 200 megawatt-hours. That is an energy measure, not a 200-megawatt power threshold. Ask the developer which route it intends to use and why.

For a project choosing that program, the CEC leads the environmental review. Its FAQ also identifies agency approvals that remain separate. Ask for a written list of the permissions still needed for the actual site, rather than assuming one certificate settles everything.

For other proposals, have the developer identify the applicable reviewing offices. Do not apply a large project’s route to a smaller proposal merely because both use batteries. Keep each decision, condition and approved drawing with the property records.

Reference: California Energy Commission: opt-in certification program and FAQ

Track the electrical connection separately

CAISO distinguishes interconnection to its transmission system from distribution interconnection handled through the utility. Ask which system the proposal would connect to, which utility is involved and what dated application or agreement supports that answer.

Request a short explanation of the work remaining: studies, upgrades, agreements and permission to operate. Who pays for each step, and what happens if the cost or timetable changes? An entry in a queue does not answer the payment questions in your land agreement.

If a cable or transmission route would leave your property, ask how the developer will obtain those rights. Include the route and construction access in the discussion before assuming the battery area is the only land affected.

Reference: CAISO: generator interconnection

Read the project stage carefully

The CEC’s Potentia-Viridi page records Commission approval on May 26, 2026 and labels the project “Compliance - Pre-Construction.” Approval and current operation are different stages. Use the dated record, rather than treating a proposed-project list or announced completion target as proof that a facility is running.

For a proposal involving your property, ask for its own decisions and remaining conditions. A public example elsewhere does not establish eligibility, available connection capacity or a developer’s need for your land.

Keep the company’s construction target separate from the date your payments would begin. Ask what happens if the target moves after you have reserved the property.

Reference: California Energy Commission: Potentia-Viridi battery project

Put the land rights and payments in writing

Ask for a map of the equipment area, roads, drainage, utility routes and temporary work space. Identify what stays available to you and what would be restricted. If the layout is unsettled, ask when the reserved area will be narrowed and unused land released.

List the proposed payments during investigation, extensions, construction and operation. What starts each payment? Who can extend the hold, for how long and at what cost? Have the draft and map reviewed together before committing the property.

Use the property form to ask Sunland about your land. California is selected on this page; you can correct it if needed. Contact details and location come first. Acreage and parcel number are optional.