Merrick Parrott advises renewable energy clients on the full scope of their legal needs. Merrick’s practice focuses on assisting developers of solar, wind, biomass, battery energy storage system (BESS), and other projects through the development cycle.
Clients turn to Merrick for her knowledge about the entire development cycle, from permitting issues to state and federal regulatory compliance. Merrick seeks to identify clients’ business challenges and help them navigate legal hurdles.
Merrick represents energy clients before the North Carolina Utilities Commission, including securing certificates of public convenience and necessity (CPCNs) for Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) qualifying facilities (QFs) and merchant plants as well as handling regulatory filings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). She also helps developers navigate local land use regulations and has appeared before dozens of local governmental bodies to obtain quasi-judicial permits and rezoning approvals for her clients.
In addition, Merrick counsels on the acquisition, sale, financing, and permitting of renewable energy facilities across the Southeast, coordinating transaction documents and due diligence for portfolios ranging in value from $10 million to $200 million. She has experience advising clients on the development of hybrid solar facilities that include battery energy storage systems.
Merrick received her law degree from Vanderbilt University where she was the symposium editor for the Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review. She was also the president of the Vanderbilt Bar Association and the executive editor of content for the Obiter Dictum. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Merrick is also a chair of the firm's Recruiting Committee.
Before attending law school, Merrick worked for the Contemporary Art Foundation, a nonprofit that supports CAM Raleigh and the development of the Triangle arts community.