Oct 7 2010
The California Energy Commission goes on a signing spree on solar projects. The Commission has recently sanctioned the Genesis Solar Energy Project to be located over a 1,800 acre plot west of Blythe designed to produce 250 MW solar power and the 709 MW Imperial Valley Solar Project located west of El Centro which can supply enough power to 719,000 houses.
The Commission hastens a number of solar developments within the state to help them to start construction and to remain qualified for the federal stimulus cash concessions which ends by Dec 31st.
Most of the recently approved projects received objections from various groups. The Genesis Solar Energy Project and Imperial Valley Solar Project received objections from a number of ecological groups, American Indian tribe and labor unions. Most of them expressed anxiety about the air pollution anticipated during the construction of the projects, annihilation of the endangered wildlife surroundings and intrusion in Native American cultural locations. The 370 MW northeast San Bernardino County that received the sanction of the Commission received objection from eco groups who feared that the project will displace most of the protected animals and will lead to the disappearance of the desert tortoise. Similarly the commission sanctioned a 1,000 MW project at eastern Riverside County that received a major objection about the glare from mirrors that can affect the nearby Blythe airport. The Riverside project received objections that it will disturb the nearby human burial sites and will exploit the scarce ground water without proper legal sanctioning.
The Commissioners of the California Energy Commission James D. Boyd and Robert B. Weisenmiller are of the opinion that every such project will receive objection from some corner or other and no project can remain perfect without inviting any issue.
Source: http://www.energy.ca.gov/