One of the main arguments put forth by those opposed to the Ivanpah solar thermal project in California’s Mojave Desert is that the negative environmental impact of the plant would be too great. On August 3, a panel of the California Energy Commission (CEC) weighed in.
The Ivanpah plant will use mirrors to reflect sunlight onto towers, which will then produce steam to power a turbine and generate electricity.
The panel recommended the five-member CEC approve the three-part solar thermal project, stating the benefits of the plant would outweigh any negative impacts to the local environment. We are now in the midst of a 30-day period for public comment before the commission makes its final decision whether construction may proceed.
If completed, Ivanpah — at 392 megawatts (MW) — would be one of the largest solar thermal plants in the world. According to Brighter Energy, the plant will produce enough energy to power 140,000 homes and improve air quality by taking the equivalent of 70,000 cars off our roads.
A main reason the project gained the panel’s approval is that BrightSource Energy Inc. — the Oakland, California-based firm that is developing the project — scaled down the total size of the project and revised its plans to minimize environmental impacts. One such revision includes switching from a water-cooling system to an air-cooling system. Water in the desert is, after all, a scarce resource.
John Woolard, President and CEO of BrightSource Energy, had this to say following the CEC panel’s recommendation:
We look forward to a final decision from the Commission when we can begin constructing the Ivanpah project, providing good jobs for the High Desert community, producing clean energy for the state’s homes and businesses, and creating a model for environmentally-responsible energy projects.
According to the Mojave Desert Blog, the environmental impact of the project won’t be zero. You can expect to see the loss of some desert tortoise and other species. To allay these concerns, BrightSource Energy has agreed to fund land conservation projects elsewhere in the Mojave Desert. The issues involved underscore the interplay between local environmental impacts and the broader issue of climate change.
Amy Davidsen, U.S. Director of the Climate Group, is in favor of the plant because of what it can potentially do to help combat climate change.
“Large-scale solar technologies provide one of our best hopes for solving the problem of global climate change,” she said. “To meet this potential, we need to scale up the use of these technologies as soon as possible. Today’s proposed decision recommending approval of the Ivanpah project represents a major step toward the realization of this goal.”
If the commission gives final approval, construction is set to begin this coming fall, with the San Francisco, California-based engineering firm Bechtel heading up the effort. The energy produced will be sold to Southern California Edison (SCE) and, pending approval, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). SCE gained such approval last Thursday from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
America Continues to Waste over 70% of the Energy it Consumes.
Our hedonist energy waste is culturally pervasive, and abominable !
(1) 100′s of millions of lights burn unnecessarily every day and night.
(2) We over heat, over cool, and over light our businesses, offices,
SCHOOLS, municipalities, churches, homes, etc…
(3) Over packaging is the norm, and recycling is inadequate. Our landfills are busier than ever. (Plastics are the most heinous polluter and cause of cancer. Use forest products wherever possible. Plant trees.)
(4) Most Americans do not minimize their driving; road congestion is horrendous.
(5) America’s incessant obsession with driving and road construction is the ultimate contradiction to sustainable living.
The only way to eliminate waste and over demand for energy is by using the economic impact of taxing energy. Crude oil must be taxed at $160 per barrel(42 gal) and, this ‘energy consumption tax’, be offset by making Federal Income Tax begin at $60k. Only with a substantial and tangible dollar consequence/reward, will there be the incentive to conserve energy. Until the price of gas is $5 to $7 per gallon, Americans will not reduce their over consumption and energy waste. In the mean time, the USA continues its hedonist energy waste and gives away its economic and political wealth to the Middle East and China.
Mass transit must become FREE, SAFE, CLEAN, and CONVENIENT; thereby rewarding those who reduce their driving.
Ford, GM, and Chrysler continue toward bankrupt, yet continue to do business as usual. They must transition to the lucrative business of building solar and wind ‘energy producers’ for the world’s 6.7 BILLION people reason$. They already have the needed infrastructure to mass produce, sell, and install these products. Failure to innovate the auto industry away from energy consumption to energy production will cause the ruin our economy and the environment . ‘Our’ earth cannot continue to support all the automakers. We are running out of petroleum !
China, India, and other former ‘developing countries’ have just begun to compete for the world’s remaining fossil fuel. If global demand for energy is not dramatically reduced, world war is inevitable.
Global warming continues to increases with our persistent waste and overuse of fossil fuels. Human extinction will be the reward for our failure to rapidly develop sustainable renewable energy supplies. The incentives necessary to create sustainable and renewable energy supplies can ONLY occur when we implement the economics of TAXING ENERGY.
Lowell Michalove, PhD Energy Conservation Policy lmmicha@gmail.com
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