The federal government is working hard to make sure that solar power gets up and running fast on federal lands in the American Southwest. The Department of Interior, led by Secretary Ken Salazar, and U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) have introduced an initiative that would streamline acceptance of solar projects on thousands of acres of land controlled by the DOI.
The initiative plans to study regions in six states — California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah — that have prime solar potential. The proposed result of these studies would be to establish solar energy zones, in which solar projects would have a fast track to permit approval and completion.
Right now 24 tracts of land in those states are designated as Solar Energy Study Areas under the initiative. Prior to designation as prime solar areas, these tracts will undergo investigation to evaluate solar projects’ feasibility and impact on local environment. The latter has been a major roadblock for many large scale solar power installations in the Southwest, which have gained much opposition from local environmental groups. Studies will not be complete until 2010.
All Those In Favor
The overall goal of this initiative, and the main benefit put forth by supporters, is to get utility-scale solar online in order to meet President Obama’s goal of doubling U.S. renewable energy output by 2012. In order to do that we need to have a fast track for approval of renewable projects, for which the Bureau of Land Management already has nearly 500 applications — almost 160 solar projects included.
It would also be a helpful boost for a somewhat nervous solar industry, which is relying heavily on government subsidies during the current recession. Many companies complain about being mired in permit processing and litigation regarding regional and environmental concerns. The hope here is that the federal government can step in and establish accepted zones that will have minimal effect on habitat and endangered species, thus streamlining that process and allowing big solar firms to go out and make some money.
And Those Opposed
Detractors would argue that eating up thousands of acres of desert landscape is unnecessary considering the awesome potential of urban and suburban rooftops, brownfields, and other locations nearer to the population centers for solar installations.
Furthermore, environmentalists may be leery of choosing one habitat over another as important and question any process that does so. Although groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have been working with the government to come up with a plan, and it would seem that the DOI is attempting to act as mediator between big solar and environmental groups, hoping that both sides can be satisfied.
Another issue that is not directly mentioned in Secretary Salazar’s statement is water. Solar thermal plants require large amounts of water for cooling, a resource all too scarce in our desert regions. I’m sure this will be a topic of study as the DOI prepares the solar zones, but opponents must wonder how one tract of desert land can be better suited than another. Many desert cities are already struggling with water shortages.
Finally, transmission lines will have to be built to keep up with all this new solar electricity. And the question remains as to whether upgrades to our overstressed national grid will in fact be able to do that with solar power on the fast track.
No Small Feat
Those nigh 160 active solar permits that the BLM is currently reviewing would require 1.8 million acres of federal land in the West. That would produce about 97,000 MW of solar electricity, enough to satisfy 29 percent of all American households. When and if the DOI studies are complete and solar energy zones designated, only projects of 10 MW or larger will be considered.
In the meantime the BLM will continue to process existing solar applications and will do site-specific studies on a few large projects in Harry Reid’s home state of Nevada. These projects, NextLight Silver State North and South, which will produce 267 MW and 140 MW respectively.
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