The United States Department of Interior has paved the way for massive solar developments after the Bureau of Land Management approved two solar energy projects totaling 754 megawatts in generating capacity.
Interior secretary Ken Salazar permitted on Tuesday plans to construct the 709-MW Imperial Valley solar project and the 45-MW Lucerne Valley solar project, both in California.
The Imperial Valley project, proposed by Texas-based Tessera Solar, will sprawl across 6,360 acres of public land in the California Desert. The plant will be equipped with nearly 30,000 units of Stirling Energy System’s 25-kilowatt SunCatcher technology, which will generate enough energy for more than 530,000 California homes.
Construction will be divided into two phases. The initial phase will include the installation of up to 12,000 units of the solar dish for a nominal generating capacity of about 300 MW, and the following phase will bring online 18,000 additional SunCatchers to expand the capacity to 709 MW.
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Meanwhile, the Lucerne Valley project developed by Chevron will occupy more than 420 acres of land in San Bernardino County. The solar facility will be fitted with 40,500 solar photovoltaic panels, which will produce enough power to meet the energy needs of 33,750 homes.
Both solar projects are qualified for the fast track program designed to encourage the expansion of large-scale renewable energy production on public lands. The program will provide funding for renewable energy projects that either start construction by the end of the year or meet specific safe harbor qualifications.
Tessera Solar is assured of a federal support amounting to $273 million to develop the Imperial Valley project, while Chevron is eligible for $31 million in stimulus funding.
The solar projects are expected to stimulate local economies by creating almost 1,000 new green jobs, of which 700 will be produced during the construction and assembly stages.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Valley project will generate $840,000 in tax revenues annually, while the Lucerne Valley project will give back $1 million in tax revenues each year.
“We’re confident that our solar program is smart from the start. With something as momentous as the introduction of large-scale solar development on the public lands, we have one chance to do things right,” said Bob Abbey, director of the land bureau.
“The permitting of these two projects represents a major milestone in renewable energy on public lands and a down payment on America’s transition to a clean energy economy. Perhaps most importantly, the process provided valuable lessons that careful planning, siting and designing up front will lead to renewable projects that are smart from the start,” added Johanna Wald, senior attorney of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
