Cascading Effects — Issue 50

Where It Lands

San Diego County Approved Starlight Solar While Still Writing the Rules for It

By Maya Jiménez— September 18, 2026

Feature image for article: San Diego County Approved Starlight Solar While Still Writing the Rules for It

San Diego County spent two years drafting a zoning ordinance for battery-energy storage. On September 16, before finishing it, supervisors unanimously approved one of the county's largest battery installations in an unincorporated community of 360 people. The project's biggest phase still has no buyer for its electricity, the promised community payments have been described in two incompatible dollar amounts, and the fire-services agreement commits money without saying what response capacity it buys. Boulevard residents showed up at every stage of the process the county offered them.

Where It Lands

San Diego County Approved Starlight Solar While Still Writing the Rules for It

By Maya Jiménez— September 18, 2026

San Diego County spent two years drafting a zoning ordinance for battery-energy storage. On September 16, before finishing it, supervisors unanimously approved one of the county's largest battery installations in an unincorporated community of 360 people. The project's biggest phase still has no buyer for its electricity, the promised community payments have been described in two incompatible dollar amounts, and the fire-services agreement commits money without saying what response capacity it buys. Boulevard residents showed up at every stage of the process the county offered them.

Regulation Gap

The Rules Arrived After the Batteries

On September 16, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a 588-acre solar and battery storage project in Boulevard, a backcountry community near the Mexican border. Eleven days from now, the county's comment period closes on its first-ever draft zoning ordinance for battery storage facilities. The ordinance applies only to future applications. Starlight Solar is grandfathered out.

So the county's biggest battery project was approved under the fire chief's discretionary guidelines, which require setbacks of 50 or 20 feet from property lines. The draft ordinance requires 100 feet. It would also restrict which land-use zones can host battery facilities. Starlight's conditions were negotiated project by project, with no countywide baseline in place.

Susan Fogle, a Boulevard resident, told the Board: "I am not against renewable energy. I am against the belief that rural communities should continually be asked to carry the burden of industrial development because we have something increasingly rare in California, and that's open land."

Regulation Gap

The Rules Arrived After the Batteries

On September 16, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a 588-acre solar and battery storage project in Boulevard, a backcountry community near the Mexican border. Eleven days from now, the county's comment period closes on its first-ever draft zoning ordinance for battery storage facilities. The ordinance applies only to future applications. Starlight Solar is grandfathered out.

So the county's biggest battery project was approved under the fire chief's discretionary guidelines, which require setbacks of 50 or 20 feet from property lines. The draft ordinance requires 100 feet. It would also restrict which land-use zones can host battery facilities. Starlight's conditions were negotiated project by project, with no countywide baseline in place.

Susan Fogle, a Boulevard resident, told the Board: "I am not against renewable energy. I am against the belief that rural communities should continually be asked to carry the burden of industrial development because we have something increasingly rare in California, and that's open land."

2022 — Starlight Solar application filed with San Diego County

July 2024 — Board directs staff to draft the county's first battery-storage zoning rules

Dec 2024 — Board votes to leave fire safety standards to county fire chief's discretion

Aug 13, 2026 — Draft zoning ordinance released for public comment

Sept 16, 2026 — Board approves Starlight Solar: 100 MW solar, 217 MW battery storage, one mile from the US-Mexico border

Sept 27, 2026 — Comment period closes on draft ordinance

Spring 2027 (est.) — Ordinance goes to Planning Commission and Board for adoption

Still unresolved: 200 MW of Starlight's approved battery capacity has no power purchase agreement and no grid interconnection in place

Pending lawsuit: The Back Country Community Alliance for Responsible Development has announced plans to file suit

Milestone Tracker

San Diego County's Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Starlight Solar Project on September 16 — 100 megawatts of solar and 868 megawatt-hours of battery storage across 588 acres near Boulevard, roughly a mile from the Mexican border. Residents packed the hearing with concerns about fire risk, groundwater contamination, and whether the project would deliver on its promises.

But a permit is one step in a longer sequence. Financing, power purchase contracts, grid connections, construction, commissioning, and community benefit payments each follow their own timeline. The bulk of Starlight's capacity depends on a second phase that has secured none of them. Here's where each milestone stands.

Milestone Tracker

San Diego County's Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Starlight Solar Project on September 16 — 100 megawatts of solar and 868 megawatt-hours of battery storage across 588 acres near Boulevard, roughly a mile from the Mexican border. Residents packed the hearing with concerns about fire risk, groundwater contamination, and whether the project would deliver on its promises.

But a permit is one step in a longer sequence. Financing, power purchase contracts, grid connections, construction, commissioning, and community benefit payments each follow their own timeline. The bulk of Starlight's capacity depends on a second phase that has secured none of them. Here's where each milestone stands.

Permit Approval

County Said Yes, but a Lawsuit May Follow

San Diego County's Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Major Use Permit on September 16, with conditions on groundwater monitoring and battery placement. The Back Country Community Alliance has said it plans to file a CEQA lawsuit challenging the approval. No filing date has been set.

Project Finance

No Financing Deal Has Surfaced in Public Records

A 100 MW solar facility with 868 MWh of battery storage requires significant project financing — construction loans, tax equity partnerships under the Inflation Reduction Act. No public record of a financing commitment has appeared. Getting a permit and closing financing are separate events on separate timelines.

Power Sales

One-Fifth of the Solar Has a Buyer

SDG&E signed a 12-year power purchase agreement covering Phase I: 20 MW of solar and 17.4 MW of storage. Phase II — which accounts for 80% of the project's solar capacity and 92% of its battery capacity — has no contracted buyer. Until someone agrees to purchase the electricity, Phase II stays theoretical.

Grid Connection

Phase One Can Plug In, Phase Two Cannot

Phase I has an interconnection agreement with SDG&E's Boulevard Substation through a mostly underground tie line. Phase II does not. The developer has confirmed it lacks both a power buyer and a grid connection for the larger phase. In California, interconnection agreements routinely take years to finalize.