Florida Gulf Coast University is making a bold statement by installing thousands of photovoltaic solar panels at its main entrance. The futuristic-looking solar farm will be visible to all passers-by, and from airplanes flying over campus.
It's an in-your-face project intended to leave little doubt about FGCU's green tendencies.
"As people drive by, they'll understand our core values," said President Wilson Bradshaw.
Once completed next July, the solar farm will be among the nation's largest for a college, and fulfill 16 to 18 percent of FGCU's annual electricity needs.
Going green, however, comes at a price. The initiative will cost $17 million, half of which the Legislature is providing. The project also means chopping down as much as 19 acres of trees to make room for solar panels, a paradox for a university billing itself as environmentally friendly.
Still, it's full-speed ahead for FGCU, which Tuesday tapped Regenesis Power to build a two-megawatt solar farm on campus. It will be the largest single-site, university-run solar field in the country. For comparison, two megawatts is enough to power up 187 average single-family homes.
At just 11 years old, FGCU is developing its academic programs and a campus identity. Paul Hill, a 30-year-old environmental engineering major, said FGCU might have found its calling with solar energy.
"It's a new engineering program, but if you've got a cutting edge solar project on campus, this is a whole new direction the university could go," said Hill, a sophomore.
FGCU signed a pact last year to move toward climate neutrality, cutting carbon emissions and purchasing energy-efficient appliances. Bradshaw said the solar project will remove 9,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides, 14,000 pounds of sulfur dioxides and 5.1 million pounds of carbon dioxides annually from the environment. By locking in a portion of its energy costs, FGCU estimates a $22 million savings over a 30-year period.
The university also lists a host of recycling, ride-sharing and energy-saving programs among its 35 green initiatives. But few noticed.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Public Utilities board OKs solar power projects
State regulators on Friday approved two proposals that officials hope will give a boost to New Jersey's solar market.
The state Board of Public Utilities approved plans by Jersey Central Power & Light and Atlantic City Electric. Both projects are meant to help improve the ability to finance solar power projects in the state.
"It will help us build solar energy capacity, improve air quality and continue New Jersey's fight against global warming," BPU President Jeanne M. Fox said in a statement.
JCP&L will enter into agreements to buy Solar Renewable Energy Certificates, which can be used to finance a system.
A so-called SREC, which represents the value of clean energy produced by a solar electricity system, is equal to one megawatt-hour of power generated by a home's or business' solar power. JCP&L, the utility that distributes electricity to most of Monmouth and Ocean counties, would buy the SRECs from project developers and installers who would sell solar electric systems — or finance them — to homeowners or businesses. The utility would, in turn, sell the certificates to energy suppliers.
The company would not enter into agreements with individual homeowners.
Like JCP&L, Atlantic City Electric also would enter into long-term agreements to buy SRECs from customers who invest in systems for homes and businesses.
Regulators have been emphasizing the use of SRECs to finance solar systems, moving away from large rebates to help pay for a portion of a project. At one point, rebates could provide up to 70 percent of a project's cost.
Gov. Jon S. Corzine's energy master plan calls for an expansion of renewable energy in New Jersey. It estimates that by 2020, about 3 percent of electricity used in the state will come from solar power.
The state Board of Public Utilities approved plans by Jersey Central Power & Light and Atlantic City Electric. Both projects are meant to help improve the ability to finance solar power projects in the state.
"It will help us build solar energy capacity, improve air quality and continue New Jersey's fight against global warming," BPU President Jeanne M. Fox said in a statement.
JCP&L will enter into agreements to buy Solar Renewable Energy Certificates, which can be used to finance a system.
A so-called SREC, which represents the value of clean energy produced by a solar electricity system, is equal to one megawatt-hour of power generated by a home's or business' solar power. JCP&L, the utility that distributes electricity to most of Monmouth and Ocean counties, would buy the SRECs from project developers and installers who would sell solar electric systems — or finance them — to homeowners or businesses. The utility would, in turn, sell the certificates to energy suppliers.
The company would not enter into agreements with individual homeowners.
Like JCP&L, Atlantic City Electric also would enter into long-term agreements to buy SRECs from customers who invest in systems for homes and businesses.
Regulators have been emphasizing the use of SRECs to finance solar systems, moving away from large rebates to help pay for a portion of a project. At one point, rebates could provide up to 70 percent of a project's cost.
Gov. Jon S. Corzine's energy master plan calls for an expansion of renewable energy in New Jersey. It estimates that by 2020, about 3 percent of electricity used in the state will come from solar power.
Polk Sees Surge in Businesses' Use of Solar Power
LAKELAND | On a recent morning at Publix Super Markets headquarters, the sun was beating on the roof of a nondescript electrical plant building.
This is good news for Publix, which recently embarked on the latest phase of a solar power experiment.
The plant's roof is covered with 4,000 square feet of thin photovoltaic (solar) laminates. Nearby on the ground, a 15-foot-by-20-foot array of solar panels is soaking up some rays, aided by a tracking system that can turn the panels according to weather patterns.
"This is just a test for us. We're figuring out how we can best utilize this," says Shannon Patten, a Publix spokeswoman. "We love to learn today about what's going to help us tomorrow."
Publix is among the largest area businesses to adopt solar power in recent years, but this is hardly new to Polk County.
The converts include everything from an apartment complex in north Lakeland to a mini-storage facility in Winter Haven.
Lakeland Electric and Tampa Electric are planning major initiatives as well.
What's spurring the commercial use of solar?
Observers say it's a combination of incentives, falling costs and a growing emphasis on alternative energy.
"The biggest resource we have in Florida is our rooftops, and particularly commercial rooftops, because they're so large and flat and not shaded by trees," said Bob Reedy, director of the solar energy division at the University of Central Florida's Solar Energy Center. "It's really a major power source."
Publix's solar effort began last summer when the company installed panels on the roofs of two stores in South Florida.
Officials estimate the panels generate 4 percent of the total power needs at each store; roughly 2 percent is generated by solar at the corporate offices.
Patten says the results are being monitored for the possibility of future expansion.
Bill Cook, who owns a construction business and mini-storage facility on Dundee Road in Winter Haven, installed 213 solar panels on his roof last summer.
Between the panels and high-efficiency LED lighting, Cook said he has eliminated a $1,500 monthly power bill and racked up credits with Tampa Electric through an energy-sharing incentive program.
"The last four months, TECO owes us money," Cook said. "We couldn't be happier."
Cambridge Cove apartments, off Mall Hill Road in Lakeland, recently flipped the switch on an array of panels mounted atop the complex's carports, supplying power to the main office and common areas.
Cambridge's owner, Winter Park-based Atlantic Housing Partners, has installed solar systems at two other complexes in Central Florida, and has three more in the permitting stage.
"We're designing systems for other communities that haven't come online yet," said Scott Culp, Atlantic's executive vice president. "We want to be out ahead of the technology."
The list goes on. Mulberry-based Community First Credit Union will soon finish work on a new South Lakeland branch that features a roof blanketed with solar panels.
Earlier this month, TECO announced plans for a solar plant near Mulberry that will have the capacity to power more than 3,400 homes.
In addition, Lakeland Electric has signed an agreement with Maryland firm Sun Edison to install more than 80 solar power systems here during the next decade.
Sun Edison will front all installation costs and sell the energy to Lakeland Electric, said Jeff Curry, the utility's alternative-energy coordinator.
Some of the systems could be mounted on the roofs of local businesses, which would receive credits on their power bills.
Yet in many cases solar remains a tough sell, with price tags stretching into tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of dollars.
Cook, the Winter Haven businessman, said he spent about $50,000 on his system, after incentives. Atlantic spent roughly $500,000 total for the carports and panels at Cambridge Cove, Culp said.
But "the capital cost of buying and installing systems is diving exponentially," said Reedy, of UCF's Florida Solar Energy Center.
That's mainly because of a surge in demand and sales of solar technology.
In the United States, shipments of photovoltaic components more than doubled between 2005 and 2007, following a federal tax credit that went into effect in January 2006, according to the government's Energy Information Administration.
A $5 million budget for solar rebates in Florida - earning commercial adopters up to $100,000 apiece - was completely expended last year after it attracted a "large volume" of applications, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said.
Both Reedy and Curry say they expect solar to be priced competitively with coal power within the next decade, especially as higher sales volumes lead to lower prices. Reedy said that could happen by 2015, if not sooner.
Curry said a Lakeland Electric program that gives credits to solar users had just five participants, both commercial and residential, two years ago, but has nearly tripled since then.
"We all recognize that legislators are breathing heavy when it comes to renewable energy," Curry said. "We know it's becoming a cultural requirement."
This is good news for Publix, which recently embarked on the latest phase of a solar power experiment.
The plant's roof is covered with 4,000 square feet of thin photovoltaic (solar) laminates. Nearby on the ground, a 15-foot-by-20-foot array of solar panels is soaking up some rays, aided by a tracking system that can turn the panels according to weather patterns.
"This is just a test for us. We're figuring out how we can best utilize this," says Shannon Patten, a Publix spokeswoman. "We love to learn today about what's going to help us tomorrow."
Publix is among the largest area businesses to adopt solar power in recent years, but this is hardly new to Polk County.
The converts include everything from an apartment complex in north Lakeland to a mini-storage facility in Winter Haven.
Lakeland Electric and Tampa Electric are planning major initiatives as well.
What's spurring the commercial use of solar?
Observers say it's a combination of incentives, falling costs and a growing emphasis on alternative energy.
"The biggest resource we have in Florida is our rooftops, and particularly commercial rooftops, because they're so large and flat and not shaded by trees," said Bob Reedy, director of the solar energy division at the University of Central Florida's Solar Energy Center. "It's really a major power source."
Publix's solar effort began last summer when the company installed panels on the roofs of two stores in South Florida.
Officials estimate the panels generate 4 percent of the total power needs at each store; roughly 2 percent is generated by solar at the corporate offices.
Patten says the results are being monitored for the possibility of future expansion.
Bill Cook, who owns a construction business and mini-storage facility on Dundee Road in Winter Haven, installed 213 solar panels on his roof last summer.
Between the panels and high-efficiency LED lighting, Cook said he has eliminated a $1,500 monthly power bill and racked up credits with Tampa Electric through an energy-sharing incentive program.
"The last four months, TECO owes us money," Cook said. "We couldn't be happier."
Cambridge Cove apartments, off Mall Hill Road in Lakeland, recently flipped the switch on an array of panels mounted atop the complex's carports, supplying power to the main office and common areas.
Cambridge's owner, Winter Park-based Atlantic Housing Partners, has installed solar systems at two other complexes in Central Florida, and has three more in the permitting stage.
"We're designing systems for other communities that haven't come online yet," said Scott Culp, Atlantic's executive vice president. "We want to be out ahead of the technology."
The list goes on. Mulberry-based Community First Credit Union will soon finish work on a new South Lakeland branch that features a roof blanketed with solar panels.
Earlier this month, TECO announced plans for a solar plant near Mulberry that will have the capacity to power more than 3,400 homes.
In addition, Lakeland Electric has signed an agreement with Maryland firm Sun Edison to install more than 80 solar power systems here during the next decade.
Sun Edison will front all installation costs and sell the energy to Lakeland Electric, said Jeff Curry, the utility's alternative-energy coordinator.
Some of the systems could be mounted on the roofs of local businesses, which would receive credits on their power bills.
Yet in many cases solar remains a tough sell, with price tags stretching into tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of dollars.
Cook, the Winter Haven businessman, said he spent about $50,000 on his system, after incentives. Atlantic spent roughly $500,000 total for the carports and panels at Cambridge Cove, Culp said.
But "the capital cost of buying and installing systems is diving exponentially," said Reedy, of UCF's Florida Solar Energy Center.
That's mainly because of a surge in demand and sales of solar technology.
In the United States, shipments of photovoltaic components more than doubled between 2005 and 2007, following a federal tax credit that went into effect in January 2006, according to the government's Energy Information Administration.
A $5 million budget for solar rebates in Florida - earning commercial adopters up to $100,000 apiece - was completely expended last year after it attracted a "large volume" of applications, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said.
Both Reedy and Curry say they expect solar to be priced competitively with coal power within the next decade, especially as higher sales volumes lead to lower prices. Reedy said that could happen by 2015, if not sooner.
Curry said a Lakeland Electric program that gives credits to solar users had just five participants, both commercial and residential, two years ago, but has nearly tripled since then.
"We all recognize that legislators are breathing heavy when it comes to renewable energy," Curry said. "We know it's becoming a cultural requirement."
Desert damage: the dark side of solar power?
Thousands of acres of solar panels could spring up across California's Mojave Desert like a crop of crystal mushrooms - a new kind of gold rush meant to bring powerful environmental benefits.
Cutting such a wide swath, however, might also disrupt desert ecosystems and the fragile plants that thrive there.
It's a concern expressed by some policymakers and scientists, including Darren Sandquist, a Cal State Fullerton biologist with a perspective all his own.
For years, Sandquist has studied the subtle changes wrought across the desert surface by railroads.
Such structures divert runoff into culverts and channels, altering the flow of water across the land. That, in turn, changes both the types of plants in the Mojave as well as where they grow. Similar effects can be expected from large solar array or wind power projects.
"It's certainly going to damage some of the ecology," Sandquist said. "I think that's a tradeoff we have to accept. It's part of becoming less reliant on oil, and more reliant on solar and wind power."
Sandquist hopes designers of large solar and wind projects will try to avoid the most harmful effects.
"I think they should take into account how the redistribution of resources in general is going to affect ecosystems," he said.
The railroad he's been studying, near Kelso Depot in the Mojave National Preserve, has existed for about a century; he's been able to track vegetation changes since that time.
Species of plants, plant cover and even the size of plants have been affected. Similar effects can be seen along desert highways.
"Anybody who drives through the desert notices the size of plants," he said. "Right next to the road, the plants are much larger."
Such changes are likely to bring shifts in animal populations as well, although Sandquist said measurements of effects on animals in the area are not yet complete.
Not only the effects of roads, but of dust kicked up when desert plants that hold soil in place are cut down to make way for solar arrays could be harmful to the delicate desert ecology.
"Studies have shown the dust on surfaces of leaves significantly reduces the photosynthetic ability of plants," he said. "Productivity decreases."
One of his big concerns is something few of us even know exists.
"One of the most important living structures on the surface are biotic crusts," he said - commonly networks of cyanobacteria and lichens. They can be disrupted or destroyed simply by walking on them.
"They don't extend more than a few millimeters below the surface," he said. "Just by being there, they hold the dirt and silt in place."
Losing them can lead to massive dust storms.
Even minor changes to desert solar projects could protect the variety of organisms that dwell there, he said. Instead of building roads, for example, operators of arrays that require few visits for maintenance might consider buying larger trucks and just driving over the existing plants.
"I really feel like the ecosystem could handle it if they just drove over it every once in awhile," he said, instead of removing large sections of vegetation to build roads.
GIant solar arrays are a very real possibility in the Mojave. The California Public Utilities Commission estimates that 100,00 to 160,000 desert acres would be needed to meet the state's goal of increasing renewable energy by 33 percent by 2020. Fourteen solar and five wind projects are being proposed on about 42,000 acres within in a 600,000-acre area known as the former Catellus lands, between the Mojave Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park.
Activist groups are angry, especially the Wildlands Conservancy, which provided $40 million to purchase the lands for preservation. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein recently announced a new effort to preserve all or part of the area by declaring it a national monument.
"Some people would argue that desert organisms are as resilient as they come," Sandquist said. "But they are vulnerable and sensitive because they are living on the edge - limited water, very warm temperatures, very cold nights during certain times."
Cutting such a wide swath, however, might also disrupt desert ecosystems and the fragile plants that thrive there.
It's a concern expressed by some policymakers and scientists, including Darren Sandquist, a Cal State Fullerton biologist with a perspective all his own.
For years, Sandquist has studied the subtle changes wrought across the desert surface by railroads.
Such structures divert runoff into culverts and channels, altering the flow of water across the land. That, in turn, changes both the types of plants in the Mojave as well as where they grow. Similar effects can be expected from large solar array or wind power projects.
"It's certainly going to damage some of the ecology," Sandquist said. "I think that's a tradeoff we have to accept. It's part of becoming less reliant on oil, and more reliant on solar and wind power."
Sandquist hopes designers of large solar and wind projects will try to avoid the most harmful effects.
"I think they should take into account how the redistribution of resources in general is going to affect ecosystems," he said.
The railroad he's been studying, near Kelso Depot in the Mojave National Preserve, has existed for about a century; he's been able to track vegetation changes since that time.
Species of plants, plant cover and even the size of plants have been affected. Similar effects can be seen along desert highways.
"Anybody who drives through the desert notices the size of plants," he said. "Right next to the road, the plants are much larger."
Such changes are likely to bring shifts in animal populations as well, although Sandquist said measurements of effects on animals in the area are not yet complete.
Not only the effects of roads, but of dust kicked up when desert plants that hold soil in place are cut down to make way for solar arrays could be harmful to the delicate desert ecology.
"Studies have shown the dust on surfaces of leaves significantly reduces the photosynthetic ability of plants," he said. "Productivity decreases."
One of his big concerns is something few of us even know exists.
"One of the most important living structures on the surface are biotic crusts," he said - commonly networks of cyanobacteria and lichens. They can be disrupted or destroyed simply by walking on them.
"They don't extend more than a few millimeters below the surface," he said. "Just by being there, they hold the dirt and silt in place."
Losing them can lead to massive dust storms.
Even minor changes to desert solar projects could protect the variety of organisms that dwell there, he said. Instead of building roads, for example, operators of arrays that require few visits for maintenance might consider buying larger trucks and just driving over the existing plants.
"I really feel like the ecosystem could handle it if they just drove over it every once in awhile," he said, instead of removing large sections of vegetation to build roads.
GIant solar arrays are a very real possibility in the Mojave. The California Public Utilities Commission estimates that 100,00 to 160,000 desert acres would be needed to meet the state's goal of increasing renewable energy by 33 percent by 2020. Fourteen solar and five wind projects are being proposed on about 42,000 acres within in a 600,000-acre area known as the former Catellus lands, between the Mojave Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park.
Activist groups are angry, especially the Wildlands Conservancy, which provided $40 million to purchase the lands for preservation. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein recently announced a new effort to preserve all or part of the area by declaring it a national monument.
"Some people would argue that desert organisms are as resilient as they come," Sandquist said. "But they are vulnerable and sensitive because they are living on the edge - limited water, very warm temperatures, very cold nights during certain times."
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Energy shortage is commonplace in Africa?
Energy shortage is commonplace in Africa, yet the continent benefits from hours of sunshine daily - can the solution lie in solar power?
Scientists are now looking at the potential of a process called Concentrating Solar Power to generate large amounts of energy, that can feed into a grid.
The Science
This technology uses fields of mirrors to reflect sunlight on to a water tank, feeding into a steam-powered turbine.
It is still very expensive to deploy - the biggest prototypes are located in the United States and Spain - and would cost billions of dollars to develop on a continent-wide scale.
To find out more about the potential in Africa for this source of energy, Pete Lewenstein spoke to Dr Gerry Wolff, an engineer and coordinator of Trec-UK, an organisation that supports research into and development of Concentrating Solar Power.
Scientists are now looking at the potential of a process called Concentrating Solar Power to generate large amounts of energy, that can feed into a grid.
The Science
This technology uses fields of mirrors to reflect sunlight on to a water tank, feeding into a steam-powered turbine.
It is still very expensive to deploy - the biggest prototypes are located in the United States and Spain - and would cost billions of dollars to develop on a continent-wide scale.
To find out more about the potential in Africa for this source of energy, Pete Lewenstein spoke to Dr Gerry Wolff, an engineer and coordinator of Trec-UK, an organisation that supports research into and development of Concentrating Solar Power.
Solar Power: Eco-Friendly or Environmental Blight?
California wants to run on sunshine. The state is forcing utility companies to provide 20% of their output by way of solar power and other forms of renewable energy by 2010. Last November, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he wanted the portion to be one-third by 2020. Now the feds are bringing the money to help fund all this sunny energy, with the Obama Administration's stimulus package promising to pay for 30% of solar-power projects that begin by the end of 2010.
But could this politically backed, popularly supported solar surge spiral into eco-disaster? That's what some say is happening to the Carrisa Plains, a sparsely populated swath of arid, sunny and relatively cheap land in eastern San Luis Obispo County, where three of the world's largest solar plants ever proposed are under review. Together, the Topaz Solar Farm, California Valley Solar Ranch (both photovoltaic projects) and the Carrizo Energy Solar Farm (a solar thermal operation) would provide energy to nearly 100,000 Golden State homes, but only by covering roughly 16 sq. mi. (41 sq km) of the ecologically sensitive plains with solar panels and industrial development. All three plants have deals with Pacific gas & Electric (PG&E) (which declined to comment for this story), and all want to start construction by the 2010 deadline for federal funds. And more solar-plant proposals are on the way, in large part because transmission lines with available capacity already run through the region. (See 10 next-generation green technologies.)
"It's peaceful out here. I love the wildlife," says Mike Strobridge, 32, an auto mechanic, explaining why he moved to the Carrisa Plains with his daughter. "But then these solar guys are going to come in, and they're just gonna destroy the area." Strobridge is especially troubled because he will be "surrounded on four sides" by the three projects. What's more, like his neighbors and other concerned parties — including the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo County — Strobridge is worried about the impact the power plants will have on endangered species such as the San Joaquin kit fox. He is also concerned about the effect on dwindling water supplies as well as the more intangible treasures of the area: the unimpeded views, the stark silence, the rustic natural beauty, the huge wilderness area called the Carrizo Plain National Monument just down the valley — that is, just about everything that led him to buy the property 10 years ago. (Read a story on mapping the best solar-energy sites in the U.S.)
Robin Bell, a museum exhibit designer who built her retirement home on the plains less than half a mile from one of the proposed plants, started the Carrisa Alliance for Responsible Energy to combat the projects. Says Bell: "I personally feel strongly that all of these rules and regulations are in place for a reason and, in the name of being green, these power companies are exploiting them and taking all kinds of liberties with the environment." She says she prefers distributed solar power (by way of roof panels on individual homes) rather than via sprawling power plants and believes technology will come on board within the next few years to make that a more feasible option. "I totally support the development of renewable energy, but at what cost? This is a knee-jerk reaction to stalling global warming. But what kind of costs are we going to do to the environment?" (See where the future of renewable energy lies.)
Katherine Potter, a spokeswoman for Ausra, the company proposing the solar thermal plant, insists that large-scale solar is needed, and soon. "There is certainly a good place for distributed generation, but to ensure the reliability of the grid, you do need large-scale power generation," she says, explaining that solar thermal is the most efficient renewable energy source available in terms of the amount of land used.
But it's not just annoyed neighbors and environmental attack dogs who are worried about these solar plants. John McKenzie is a planner for the County of San Luis Obispo, which is processing the applications for the photovoltaic projects. (The solar thermal project goes through the California Energy Commission.) "There are a couple of pretty serious issues that need to be resolved," he says, pointing specifically to the biological resources, water-supply concerns and agricultural protections that have to be evaluated before the county gives the go-ahead to the applicants. How much experience does he or anyone in the county have with these kinds of processes? "Zero," says McKenzie, a 20-year county-planning employee. "These are the two biggest plants in the world ... This county is getting to be one of the first folks to deal with it." Will any of these projects make it by 2010? "There's a possibility," he says, adding that the county is "making a concerted effort to keep time frames down" but that there could be a "whole slew of stumbling blocks."
This isn't the first time solar has been proposed for the plains, however. Darrell Twisselman — whose family has lived in the area since the 1880s and whose land would host the two photovoltaic plants for a hefty profit — remembers when they built a solar photovoltaic plant there in the mid-1980s. (At 6 megawatts, it was tiny compared with the current proposals, one of which has a 177-megawatt capacity.) The project faced similar gripes then. "Everyone complained about them for two weeks, and then everyone forgot," Twisselman says. "And they were what you might say unsightly. You could see them from everywhere." The technology, however, was worse then, and "the panels cooked," melting in their own heat, says Twisselman. That was just one reason the government pulled funding and the project was dismantled.
Despite the earlier Carrisa solar experiment, the state feels it is still inexperienced in judging the impact of huge solar plants. According to California Energy Commission chairwoman Karen Douglas, "We've got much more experience siting natural-gas plants than siting renewables, both from a staff and commission perspective. So some issues are rising up in the renewables case that are substantively different than what has been the core of the siting work before the solar applications started coming in so quickly."
Schwarzenegger has asked state agencies to streamline the process with an eye on speed (and the federal deadline) as well as the environment. But this process, which included a workshop held last week, is still in the early stages and is focused mainly on the Mojave and Colorado deserts, where other future solar plants would go. As such, it remains unclear how this process will affect the Carrisa Plains, especially with the pressure building for the 2010 deadline.
Back on the plains, Strobridge is just trying to save the place he calls home. "At this point," he explains, "we're very frustrated and doing everything we can to make sure if something does come in, it's put in responsibly."
But could this politically backed, popularly supported solar surge spiral into eco-disaster? That's what some say is happening to the Carrisa Plains, a sparsely populated swath of arid, sunny and relatively cheap land in eastern San Luis Obispo County, where three of the world's largest solar plants ever proposed are under review. Together, the Topaz Solar Farm, California Valley Solar Ranch (both photovoltaic projects) and the Carrizo Energy Solar Farm (a solar thermal operation) would provide energy to nearly 100,000 Golden State homes, but only by covering roughly 16 sq. mi. (41 sq km) of the ecologically sensitive plains with solar panels and industrial development. All three plants have deals with Pacific gas & Electric (PG&E) (which declined to comment for this story), and all want to start construction by the 2010 deadline for federal funds. And more solar-plant proposals are on the way, in large part because transmission lines with available capacity already run through the region. (See 10 next-generation green technologies.)
"It's peaceful out here. I love the wildlife," says Mike Strobridge, 32, an auto mechanic, explaining why he moved to the Carrisa Plains with his daughter. "But then these solar guys are going to come in, and they're just gonna destroy the area." Strobridge is especially troubled because he will be "surrounded on four sides" by the three projects. What's more, like his neighbors and other concerned parties — including the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo County — Strobridge is worried about the impact the power plants will have on endangered species such as the San Joaquin kit fox. He is also concerned about the effect on dwindling water supplies as well as the more intangible treasures of the area: the unimpeded views, the stark silence, the rustic natural beauty, the huge wilderness area called the Carrizo Plain National Monument just down the valley — that is, just about everything that led him to buy the property 10 years ago. (Read a story on mapping the best solar-energy sites in the U.S.)
Robin Bell, a museum exhibit designer who built her retirement home on the plains less than half a mile from one of the proposed plants, started the Carrisa Alliance for Responsible Energy to combat the projects. Says Bell: "I personally feel strongly that all of these rules and regulations are in place for a reason and, in the name of being green, these power companies are exploiting them and taking all kinds of liberties with the environment." She says she prefers distributed solar power (by way of roof panels on individual homes) rather than via sprawling power plants and believes technology will come on board within the next few years to make that a more feasible option. "I totally support the development of renewable energy, but at what cost? This is a knee-jerk reaction to stalling global warming. But what kind of costs are we going to do to the environment?" (See where the future of renewable energy lies.)
Katherine Potter, a spokeswoman for Ausra, the company proposing the solar thermal plant, insists that large-scale solar is needed, and soon. "There is certainly a good place for distributed generation, but to ensure the reliability of the grid, you do need large-scale power generation," she says, explaining that solar thermal is the most efficient renewable energy source available in terms of the amount of land used.
But it's not just annoyed neighbors and environmental attack dogs who are worried about these solar plants. John McKenzie is a planner for the County of San Luis Obispo, which is processing the applications for the photovoltaic projects. (The solar thermal project goes through the California Energy Commission.) "There are a couple of pretty serious issues that need to be resolved," he says, pointing specifically to the biological resources, water-supply concerns and agricultural protections that have to be evaluated before the county gives the go-ahead to the applicants. How much experience does he or anyone in the county have with these kinds of processes? "Zero," says McKenzie, a 20-year county-planning employee. "These are the two biggest plants in the world ... This county is getting to be one of the first folks to deal with it." Will any of these projects make it by 2010? "There's a possibility," he says, adding that the county is "making a concerted effort to keep time frames down" but that there could be a "whole slew of stumbling blocks."
This isn't the first time solar has been proposed for the plains, however. Darrell Twisselman — whose family has lived in the area since the 1880s and whose land would host the two photovoltaic plants for a hefty profit — remembers when they built a solar photovoltaic plant there in the mid-1980s. (At 6 megawatts, it was tiny compared with the current proposals, one of which has a 177-megawatt capacity.) The project faced similar gripes then. "Everyone complained about them for two weeks, and then everyone forgot," Twisselman says. "And they were what you might say unsightly. You could see them from everywhere." The technology, however, was worse then, and "the panels cooked," melting in their own heat, says Twisselman. That was just one reason the government pulled funding and the project was dismantled.
Despite the earlier Carrisa solar experiment, the state feels it is still inexperienced in judging the impact of huge solar plants. According to California Energy Commission chairwoman Karen Douglas, "We've got much more experience siting natural-gas plants than siting renewables, both from a staff and commission perspective. So some issues are rising up in the renewables case that are substantively different than what has been the core of the siting work before the solar applications started coming in so quickly."
Schwarzenegger has asked state agencies to streamline the process with an eye on speed (and the federal deadline) as well as the environment. But this process, which included a workshop held last week, is still in the early stages and is focused mainly on the Mojave and Colorado deserts, where other future solar plants would go. As such, it remains unclear how this process will affect the Carrisa Plains, especially with the pressure building for the 2010 deadline.
Back on the plains, Strobridge is just trying to save the place he calls home. "At this point," he explains, "we're very frustrated and doing everything we can to make sure if something does come in, it's put in responsibly."
Solar power group to discuss benefits of hosting generating facilities
The Arizona Solar Power Society will host a conference Thursday on making money by hosting solar facilities.
A series of experts will discuss the potential for buildings with large roof space or parking lots to house solar units to offset electric costs for owners or as a host for other users.
Organizers say two things are coming into play this year that could help spur commercial demand in this sectors. The first is the $185 million Arizona is using to encourage weatherization and energy efficiency in buildings. The second is $55 million in federal stimulus funds to install renewable energy equipment.
The society also plans to unveil a business plan on Thursday that could create thousands of new jobs, officials said.
Speakers will include Jane Pater, Summit Blue; Tony Tewelis, Arizona Public Service Co.; Robert Hoskins, Arizona Solar Installation Training Program; Scott Young, Sky Engineering; Ryan Hurley, Rose Law Group; Kate Sherwood, Recurrent Energy; and Brian Rasmussen, BrightSource Energy.
A series of experts will discuss the potential for buildings with large roof space or parking lots to house solar units to offset electric costs for owners or as a host for other users.
Organizers say two things are coming into play this year that could help spur commercial demand in this sectors. The first is the $185 million Arizona is using to encourage weatherization and energy efficiency in buildings. The second is $55 million in federal stimulus funds to install renewable energy equipment.
The society also plans to unveil a business plan on Thursday that could create thousands of new jobs, officials said.
Speakers will include Jane Pater, Summit Blue; Tony Tewelis, Arizona Public Service Co.; Robert Hoskins, Arizona Solar Installation Training Program; Scott Young, Sky Engineering; Ryan Hurley, Rose Law Group; Kate Sherwood, Recurrent Energy; and Brian Rasmussen, BrightSource Energy.
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