News about Solar, Wind and alternative green power technologies

Part 1 California Found Gold: Solar Power (Part 1/3)

Part 2: California Found Gold: Solar Power (Part 2/3)

The decision made by the commission on Ivanpah stated “The problem about global climate change that is of utmost importance has been addressed by the project. The answer by the state is to change towards clean sources of electricity, like solar power.

The commission used “overriding concern” citations to approve the other solar projects in the desert as well. This is what a UC Riverside Granite Mountains desert research center’s desert biologist, Jim Andre, in eastern San Bernardino County said. A decision to put away the particular impacts is being made and to carry out these projects in the shortest time possible, putting away everything that science has to say.

A report in June by the Energy Commission staff on the solar project: Genesis viewed the past cumulative impacts on cultural sites by the development of solar projects from the past, present, and the future, most likely. It was further stated that, it is estimated by this analysis that over 800 sites between the, I-10 corridor and sites in the desert region of south California will be destroyed. The impact of this situation can be reduced by mitigation but not to the less than the expected level.

However, proponents of utility scale solar project development says that the lands managed by BLP gives an opportunity to mold projects to possibly reduce impacts that are negative compared to other entities of land.

Based in Tempe, Arizona, the company named First Solar has proposed for its project called ‘Desert Sun Light’ and has reached the final stage of the approval process. This solar plant which is ‘photo-voltaic’ is planned to start construction on the north of the desert’s center where there’s a small community off interstate 10 east of Indio. This project, at the start is to cover 19,000 acres of land that belongs to BLM. Kim Oster, the director of the First Solar project said that after archaeologists and biologists’ studied the necessary footprints appropriate actions were taken to decrease the impact on resources both cultural and biological.

She said, a corridor of the bighorn sheep movement, desert tortoise, a site of endangered foxtail cactus and ‘prehistoric resources of significant value’ were removed.

To fight the change in climate, the solution has to include a change of our energy. It will give a very clear answer to the future global warming crisis, while giving green jobs at present. The Desert Center leaders of the community were informed by First Solar on Monday that they planned to give $350,000 in funds for the development of communities that were identified locally such as library and local school improvements.

Owner of McGoo’s Country Store at the center of the desert, Ken Statler said “everybody thinks that it is a great project around here. They are coming forth to help the area and the county.” He also said that there are no jobs left in this area and the jobs produced for the solar construction and the operational jobs will be ongoing. There’s nowhere else to get anything they want because the two other mini marts closed down. It will definitely be of great help, to have some life out here.

He also said that the development of projects will be of significant value to the economy of this area. Currently, the area is suffering from high levels of unemployment.

Currently, the Federal agencies are into something called a “statement on the solar programmatic environmental impact” that is used for bypassing of the framework on the development of solar power projects on public property in a total of six western states.

The plan is to create 24 solar power areas that are federally authorized. These are going to operate as large scale projects that minimize the impact on the environment meanwhile maintaining the culture of the area. The largest zone is of 202,000 acres in size and located east of the open deserts of Riverside County. “It is not fair” said John Beach, a resident of the desert’s center who landed a job in procurement earlier this month with Next Era’s Genesis’s project.

The federal report has recommended that more land than the 667,384 acres already considered, should be opened up for development of solar power projects throughout the western states. It amounts to approximately 21.5 million acres. People are worried; they say that there will be no more desert left. Another 1.7 million acres in California and 205,000 in the total desert surrounding the Valley of Coachella will be considered.

The work to consider the impact caused by over a dozen of large scale solar projects that are approved or are close to approval is in most directions, still at the start. Completion of the plan on the conservation of desert renewable energy is not to be completed until next year. The goal of the plan is to get the clean energy in a more fashionable way. However, the real question is whether there will be anything left to benefit from? This is something that Gail Barton, the head planner for Riverside County and its delegate to the committee responsible for the plan, is questioning. He also said that these solar power plants are at this point considered whether they are legal or not.

After the approval of seven huge desert solar power plants, the Energy Commission in California advised the applicant to conduct a study that looks into environmental considerations. This includes the framework of cumulative impacts on biology for the California deserts’ solar energy projects.

A lawsuit was put away on the 13th of April by the Supreme Court of California. However, protesters by environmentalists and tribal leaders say that these projects have failed to keep up the federal law on the conservation of endangered species and cultural sites.

The local concerns of these projects are not a priority to the rest of the country. The bigger value is to look at the greater good it will do to the entire country and the whole world in comparison to the local issues. The self-sufficient renewable energy will strongly help to fight the effects of climate change. Therefore, it’s a step suitable to make” said Kenneth Zweibel, the director of the Solar Institute of George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Source: My Desert