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Can Big Solar and Wildlife Co-Exist? Maybe, Says Arizona Conservation Group

Adam Sewall — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:35:42 +0000

Generally speaking, solar energy installations come in two flavors: small- and medium-scale systems that are installed atop roofs and in empty lots (broadly referred to a “distributed generation”); and large, utility-scale solar power plants that sit on acres and acres of land.

A common critique of distributed generation is that, thanks to trees and other obstructions, not every roof is good for solar panels; a common critique of utility solar is that the plants take up lots of land and can disrupt surrounding habitats.

Case in point vis-à-vis the latter: a new assessment released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management indicates that the Ivanpah solar project may threaten more of the local fauna (desert tortoises) than originally estimated by the project developer, BrightSource Energy.

[The] new assessment estimates that up to 162 adult tortoises in the project area will have to be captured and moved and up to 700 juvenile tortoises would be killed during construction.

On April 25, BrightSource halted work on two phases of the three-phase project after discovering more desert tortoises on the project site than previously anticipated. The critters have been on the federal endangered species list since 1990.

All this begs the question, can big solar and wildlife co-exist? Can renewable energy project developers and conservationists get along?

Brad Powell of the Arizona Wildlife Federation thinks so, provided limitations are placed on the amount of land opened to development:

The Arizona Wildlife Federation and its members believe that the best way forward is to cluster projects in appropriately sited zones with high solar potential and minimal wildlife conflicts. There are three proposed solar-energy zones in Arizona, totaling 13,735 acres, ample acreage to allow for the projected levels of development.

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The federal government’s current preferred alternative, however, would open up an additional 4.4 million acres on public lands in Arizona to new development. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar needs to get personally involved to make sure this development is done in a way that protects the sporting traditions that are so important to our heritage.

Powell is referring to a federal proposal to the expand development of solar energy projects in six western states. A project of the Department of Energy, Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management, the plan is open to public comment until Monday, May 2. See the Solar Energy Development Programmatic website for more info.

Duke Energy Adds Distributed Solar Capacity in North Carolina

GetSolar Staff — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:00:09 +0000

The state of North Carolina has set a renewable energy standard that requires all of the state’s utilities to meet a minimum percentage customers’ electricity needs with clean, renewable energy by 2021. Duke Energy, one of the largest electric power companies in the United States, is taking the first steps toward meeting this goal, which for investor-owned utilities is 12.5 percent.

On a local morning show on Tuesday, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company showcased a portion of the first phase of the Duke distributed solar generation program. The idea is that, rather than building a single, centralized solar power plant, it may be a cost-effective — and perhaps a better use of space — to install a number of smaller distributed generated sites across the state. These sites could be rooftop and/or ground-mounted panels on or around houses, schools, offices or warehouses whose structures are best tailored to handle a solar energy system.

Duke’s approach is similar Southern California Edison’s solar rooftop program; under both initiatives, the systems are owned not by the property owner or other third party, but by the utility itself.

By rolling out its $50 million distributed solar project, Duke aims to eventually own and operate across the state 10 megawatts (MW) of solar energy capacity — enough potential oomph to power 1,300 homes.

The first phase of the program was completed in April 2010 and has the potential to produce 4.3 MW annually. It includes installations atop four large nonresidential customers that were chosen back in 2009.

While no fixed date has been announced for the completion of the program, the remaining two phases are currently in progress.

Solar Summer in the City

Margaret Collins — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:35:05 +0000

If when you think of solar panels, you envision stretches of the desert filled with the deep-blue glint of enormous solar arrays, you’re not wrong. That’s the environment in which solar power is both most efficient and most cost effective. But did you realize that solar panels on your townhouse or high-rise in an urban environment can also be incredibly useful?

If you live in an apartment building, getting approval for roof use can be tough. However, small condo buildings or co-ops tend to be easier nuts to crack. Your condo association or co-op board may even want to consider mounting solar panels on the roof in order to provide power for the building’s common areas: laundry, kitchens, meeting or rec rooms. The major financial incentives for residential and commercial solar panel installations in this country are a combination of tax benefits and cash rebates: the installation costs may not be as high as you think.

One reason urban solar makes sense–and is even specially incentivized in some cities–is that densely populated areas create the largest burden for the grid. Distributed power generation, which is what solar panels on your home or business provide, relieves pressure from the grid during the busiest times of day. It’s in the utilities’ best interests to move some of the responsibility for producing power off their own power plants, and onto yours.

Solar panels do require some space to spread out and do their job. A good rule of thumb is 100 square feet of south-facing, unshaded roof area for every kilowatt of system size. Newer, more efficient solar panels are working to slim that space requirement down. But think about it: if you own a flat-roofed garage or warehouse in Manhattan or San Diego, you could probably host an easy 20 kw of solar power and see immediate, significant reductions in your monthly electric bill.

The moral of the story? Even with limited space, solar power could make sense for you if you live in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, New York City, Boston, Miami, Newark…well, the list goes on. Contact us to find out more.