ClimateWire: Though environmentalists typically support more solar energy development, some have come out against a proposed facility being developed in the Mojave Desert by Oakland, Calif.-based BrightSource Energy Inc.
On Saturday, about 20 people hiked near the proposed site of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, just across the California border from Primm, Nev. They were searching for endangered species and environmental concerns that could be used to derail the project. They represent a conflict seen throughout the Southwest as solar energy companies develop utility-scale plants. Though environmentalists support the technology, they oppose the use of pristine desert expanses that are often the most attractive from a business perspective.
“I don’t understand why so much emphasis has to be put on these gigantic projects that are taking up wild open space,” said Laura Cunningham, a member of Beatty, Nev.-based Basin and Range Watch. “Reducing electricity consumption even a tiny bit and deploying urban technologies like rooftop solar first, before we start bringing out the bulldozers, would be better for everyone.”
BrightSource received $1.37 billion in conditional loan guarantees last month from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop three solar power plants, including the Ivanpah array. The company says the facilities will eventually provide enough energy to power 140,000 California homes (E&ENews PM, Feb. 22).
In response to criticism from environmentalists, BrightSource has argued that the site of the facility is not untouched — electric transmission lines and off-highway vehicle trails have been built there already. The company says it will preserve and relocate the plants and endangered desert tortoises living on the site (Stephanie Tavares, Las Vegas Sun, March 23). – GN