Summary
As a budding solar power developer located in prime solar territory covering SW Idaho, I dare say I support the actions yesterday of California Senator Dianne Feinstein to take more than a million acres of pristine land in the Mojave Desert off the table for large commercial solar power development. That being said, you now have to throw a bone back to the solar developers in this country. We could do that by clearing the way for easier access to rooftops and brownfield sites across the USA.
Analysis
A Democrat from California declaring public lands off-limits to solar developers ? Who would have "thunk" it ? But that is exactly what happened yesterday when California Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation in Congress to protect large swaths of the Mojave Desert from being covered with thousands of solar panels. Yes California has set an aggressive and noble agenda to offset much of its power with renewable energy. But we need to take a step back in California and throughout the rest of the country and make good solid rationale decisions as we embark on this massive "Green Energy Revolution" sweeping the country. There is always a right and wrong way to do things and people should and do continually debate on these matters. But our actions today will have an effect for years and even generations to come.
I live in Idaho where we are yet to see our first commercial MW size solar farm developed. And before we rush out and cover our desert with PV panels, we need to take a serious and analytical look at what are the smartest options. Not only here in Idaho or in California, but across the entire country. Many people want a new direction in energy policy, but at the same time many are afraid of what our country may look like 20-30 years from now with massive wind and solar projects dominating the landscape. It doesn't need to be this way.
According to the 2008 US Census Data, the combined residential and commercial rooftop space in this country alone could account for over 200 Billion square feet of surface area for solar power installations. Assuming that 25% of this would be prime space with unobstructed access, we could generate at least 50,000 MW of clean and sustainable solar power ! We also have thousands of "brownfield" sites in this country that could be used for solar generating projects. Closed landfills, abandoned mines, empty buildings and old decommissioned chemical plants dot our landscape. Over 1400 contaminated brownfield properties in New York and Texas alone. Take the 300 acre former landfill in Houston, TX that was chosen by the EPA in 2008 for a brownfield development pilot project. It promoted solar power as a good solution and as an example of the direction we should be headed with our clean energy focus in this country. www.epa.gov/brownfields/sustain_plts/factsheets/hou_sol_spfs.pdf
Sure it's easy to pinpoint on a map where the "hot spots" are for solar or wind power and then go and build these much needed clean energy plants. But left unchecked, we may find ourselves years from now struggling to see the forest through the millions of solar panels and wind turbines that will have grown from the soil.
We as concerned Americans have the ability to make smart decisions today on our clean energy future that will last a lifetime and beyond.
