Large-scale solar plants on public lands will be a first

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The Interior Department has signed off on two large-scale solar power plants to be built on public lands in California. The approval by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar gives two U.S.-based companies the use of almost 6,800 acres of public lands for 30 years to build and run solar plants that could produce enough renewable energy to power between 226,000 and 566,000 typical American homes and provide almost 1,000 new jobs. Here's a quick look at the projects:

·         The Imperial Valley Solar Project proposed by Tessera Solar of Texas, will use Stirling Energy Systems' Suncatcher technology in Imperial County and is expected to generate up to 709 MW from an array of 28,360 solar dishes.

·         The Chevron Lucerne Valley Solar Project, proposed by Chevron Energy Solutions of California, will use photovoltaic technology to provide up to 45 MW from 40,500 solar panels.

"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 Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey. "That's why we did complete environmental analyses on both these projects with expanded opportunities for public participation." Tessera and Chevron are eligible for about $273 million and $31 million respectively under the Recovery Act's payment for specified energy property in lieu of tax credit program.

Quick Take: While most of the public lands in the California Desert are managed for conservation, that still leaves a lot of ground open for carefully sited and managed renewable energy generation.

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