Related:As part of its ongoing efforts to increase domestic energy production and ensure greater energy security, the Bureau of Land Management has initiated a joint programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) with the Department of Energy (DOE) to assess the environmental, social, and economic impacts associated with solar energy development on BLM-managed public land in six western States: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.
[snip...]
During work on the PEIS, the BLM will focus attention on the 125 applications already received for rights-of-way for solar energy development, while deferring new applications until after completion of the PEIS. The 125 existing applications are for land covering almost one million acres and with the potential to generate 70 billion watts of electricity, or enough to power 20 million average American homes. The PEIS will establish a process for accepting future applications, possibly through a competitive prcess, which is likely to attract companies with the experience and resources necessary to quickly deploy solar energy projects.
AZCentral.com looks at how giant companies like Chevron, Goldman Sachs, and PG&E are now heading into the Mojave with industrial solar thermal proposals with bets the technology will be economically competitive with coal within another decade.
The BLM/California Desert District' Solar Energy web page includes tables and maps of current solar proposals for the Mojave Desert.
Go Solar California! is a site of the Public Utilities Commission and Energy Commission that "provides consumers a 'one-stop shop' for information on rebates, tax credits, and incentives for solar energy systems in California."
MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC: On the Energy page of the MBCA Website. Previous posts: Energy.
