California Desert Conservation Area Solar Panels

Bureau of land management blm and the u s.

California desert conservation area solar panels.

Area conservationists were concerned that the projects would haphazardly slice up the desert if measures weren t put in place to protect the sensitive ecosystems. The plant has a gross capacity of 392 megawatts mw. Photovoltaic pv solar panels in antelope valley california the drecp is an important part of california s clean energy future because it designated 388 000 acres as development focus areas. Ca desert conservation area map mojave desert land trust acquires land within the entire california desert conservation area cdca 25 million acres of geologically diverse landscapes.

The blm published a notice of availability for the project which opens a 30 day protest period and a 60 day governor s consistency review. Mccoy solar energy project cdca amendment supplemental protest report may 29 2013 terms. California desert conservation area planning and nepa solar energy regions. To protect the area and streamline the permitting process the california energy commission the california department of fish and wildlife the u s.

In designating these public lands as the cdca in 1976 congress wrote that the california desert environment is a total ecosystem that is extremely. Resource plan amendment for the california desert conservation area and palen solar power project riverside county california june 13 2011 alternatives analysis compared to the preferred alternative the reduced acreage alternative would generate 25 percent fewer megawatts but reduce the disturbance area by about approximately 50 percent to 2 242 acres. Department of the interior s bureau of land management blm has given a preliminary but close to final environmental approval for first solar s 450 mwac desert quartzite solar power plant. Fish and wildlife service developed the desert renewable energy conservation plan drecp that identifies areas in the desert appropriate for the utility scale development of wind solar and geothermal energy projects.

All told nearly 30 000 acres of photovoltaic solar farms producing up to 4 000 megawatts could come online in the california desert within the next few years a 30 uptick statewide over 2018 the. The ivanpah solar electric generating system is a concentrated solar thermal plant in the mojave desert.