Distributed Energy Resources (stay tuned for our 2022 position paper)
The Better Alternative: Rooftop Solar and Energy Efficiency (California Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan) >>here - Sign the Petition
Net Energy Metering Controversy in Nevada >>here
Distributed Energy Resources >>here
Solar Projects (Active projects or applications):
Amargosa Valley Solar Projects
A large number of solar applications on public land are filling up this valley in Nevada east of Death Valley National Park >>here
Arizona Solar Projects
Solar applications on public land are taking down saguaros in western Arizona >>here
Beatty Solar Projects
A huge 6,500-acre photovoltaic panel project in northern Amargosa Valley, Nye County, NV. Visual concerns next to Rhyolite Ghost Town, Goldwell Open Air Museum, Titus Canyon Road, and on the border of Death Valley National Park (application) >>here
Blythe Solar Power Project
A huge 1,000 MW photovoltaic panel project in McCoy Wash, Riverside County with a 5,950 acre footprint. Cultural issues, Fringe-toed lizards, and Desert tortoise are concerns >>here (in operation)
Bonanza Solar Project
Photovoltaic solar application on the fan along the east side of the Spring Range, Clark County, Nevada. Very important desert tortoise connectivity corridor >>here Cactus Springs ACEC nomination >>here
Copper Rays Solar Project
Proposed next to Rough Hat Solar Projects and Yellow Pine Solar Project, just south of Pahrump, Nevada >>here
Crescent Dunes Solar Project
Solar Reserve Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project. A 100 MW power tower project with molten salt storage, near Tonopah, Nevada >>here (years delay in operation due to engineering problems, but now in limited operation testing repairs)
Crimson Solar Project
Recurrent seeks to construct a 4,000-acre 450-megawatt photovoltaic project with storage near Blythe, in Riverside County, California >>here (approved)
Death Valley Solar Projects
Tens of thousands of acres of utility-scale solar project applicationson public lands threaten the eastern side of Death Valley National Park, the historic ghost town of Rhyolite, the tourisn economy of Beatty, and pronghorn antelope of Sarcobatus Flat >>here; enabled by the proposed Greenlink West Transmission Project >>here
Desert Quartzite Solar Farm
A 2,500-acre photovoltaic project by First Solar near Blythe, in Riverside County, California >>here
Desert Sunlight Solar Farm
A large-scale First Solar photovoltaic project in Colorado Desert area of Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, California >>here (in operation)
I-10 Corridor Projects in Chuckwalla Valley >>here
Dry Lake South Solar Energy Zone
Three projects are permitted in this area of Clark County NV >>here (in operation)
Esmeralda County Complex of Solar Projects
Naerly 100 square miles of solar projects proposed by various companies, clustered along the proposed Greenlink West Transmission Project west of Tonopah, Esmeralda County, NV, in southern Big Smoky Valley--outside of any Solar Energy Zone>>here
Gemini Solar Project
7,000-acre photovoltaic project with storage proposed for Clark County, nevada, on crucial Mojave Desert tortoise linkage corridor, and area with rare plants. Next to Muddy Mountains Wilderness Area and near Valley of Fire State Park >>here (approved, under construction)
Genesis Solar Energy Project
NextEra Energy proposes to build a 250-megawatt parabolic trough solar thermal plant near Ford Dry Lake in Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, CA. Water is a concern >>here (in operation)
Golden Currant Solar Project
Proposed next to Rough Hat Solar Projects and Yellow Pine Solar Project, just south of Pahrump, Nevada. Has paleontological resources on badlands >>here
Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System
BrightSource's solar thermal power tower proposal in Ivanpah Valley, San Bernardino County CA >>here Updates >>here (in operation, barely)
Luning Solar Energy Project
100 MW photovoltaic project in Mineral County, NV >>here (in operation)
Ord Mountain Solar Project
60 MW photovoltaic project proposal with storage in Lucerne Valley, CA >>here
McCoy Solar Power Project
750 MW photovoltaic project in McCoy Wash, Riverside County near Blythe CA, by NextEra Energy >>here (in operation)
Oberon Solar Project
500 MW photovoltaic project propsed on high-value microphyll woodland, wildlife connectivity coridor, and even 600 acres of Mojave desert tortoise Critical Habitat, in Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, CA, in a Development Focus Area that should have been an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. Violates the DRECP >>here
Pahrump Solar Project
Photovoltaic panel 800-acre "community "solar project in Pahrump, NV, by Valley Electric Association >>here. This experiemnetal project pioneered the experiemental mitigation measures of mowing vegetaion in the solar field, and allowing tortoises back onto the solar project after construction. The results are mixed at best, but many larger solar projects are using these techniques to try to lessen impacts to desert ecosystems and threatened species. (in operation)
Palen Solar PV Project
500 MW solar power plant in Chuckwalla Valley ten miles east of Desert Center CA, on good Mojave fringe-toed lizard habitat. EDF Renewables >>here (in operation)
Playa Solar Project
Photovoltaic project on the Dry Lake South Solar Energy Zone in Clark County NV >>here (in operation)
Rough Hat Nye and Rough Nat Clark Solar Projects
Two photovoltaic projects proposed by Candela Renewables out of Spain, on Mojave Desert just south of Pahrump, Nevada, one in Nye County and one in Clark County. Appernaltyy named after a local mine. Larhe local opposition due to recreational value of these public lands, and the solar projects are too close to houses and a school. Early application, pre-NEPA >>here
Sawtooth Solar Project
10,000-acre photovoltaic solar project proposal in Sarcobatus Flat, Nye County NV, next to Death Valley National Park, on pronghorn antelope and Joshua tree habitat >>here (application)
Silver State South Solar Project
Photovoltaic project in Ivanpah Valley, Clark County NV >>here (in operation)
Stateline Solar Project
Photovoltaic panel proposal in Ivanpah Valley CA >>here (in operation)
See also Ivanpah Updates page >>here; May 2011 >>here
Sunshine Valley Solar Project
A 110 MW photovoltaic project by First Solar on private land in Amargosa Valley NV that is close to Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refgue. Federally Endangered Yuma clapper rails may be threatened by the "lake effect" of the solar panels >>here (In operation)
West Mojave and Antelope Valley Solar Projects
Many utility-scale solar projects on public and private lands >>here
Yellow Pine Solar Project
Photovoltaic panel proposal in southern Pahrump Valley NV, where over 92,000 Mojave yuccas will be mulched, and 100,000-year-oled desert soils destroyed >>here. See also Stump Springs >>here. (Approved, under construction)
Solar Demonstration Area in Nevada Test Site by Department of Energy >>here
Inactive or Withdrawn Solar Projects:
Amargosa Farm Road Project
Proposal with storage in Amargosa Valley, Nye County NV >>here (not active)
Battle Borne Solar Project
A massive 9,000-plus acre utility-scale solar project proposed on the popular Mormon Mesa next to Logandale and Overton in Clark County, Nevada. This ancient land surface is bounded by the Virgin and Muddy Rivers, and is a special place to local people and public lands visitors. More >>here (application withdrawn)
Big Dune Solar Project
7,500-acre project in Amargosa Valley NV by Pacific Solar, on rare and endemic beetle habitat >>here (inactive)
Calico Solar Project
This project is larger than the city of Berkeley. K Road project by the proposed Cady Mountains Wilderness, San Bernardino County CA >>here. Updates >>here (withdrawn)
Hidden Hills Solar Electric Generating System
BrightSource Energy's second solar thermal power tower proposal in Mesquite Valley, Inyo County CA >>here (withdrawn)
Imperial Valley Solar Project
Former Tessera Stirling dish project on 6,500 acres sited on archaeologically sensitive Colorado Desert with Flat-tailed horned lizards, west of El Centro, Imperial County CA >>here (withdrawn)
Lathrop Wells Solar Facility
An older Abengoa application. In Amargosa Valle NV, a 250-megawatt parabolic trough solar thermal plant that may be upgraded to 500 MW, with 70 MW photovoltaic >>here (withdrawn)
Lucerne Valley Solar Project
Chevron Energy Solutions is proposing to build a 516-acre photovoltaic project on Mojave Desert with Joshua trees and tortoises in Lucerne Valley CA. Some call the area disturbed, but we disagree >>here (inactive)
Owens Valley Solar Projects
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and private companies are planning on developing large-scale solar facilities in Owens Valley in eastern CA at various locations >>here and LADWP Solar Ranch; Northland Solar Project (inactive)
Rice Solar Energy Project
A 500-foot tall power tower in a remote CA desert by Solar Reserve >>here (inactive)
Ridgecrest Solar Power Project
Photovoltaic panel proposal for Kern County CA, in the West Mojave Desert >>here Updates page >>here (terminated)
Rio Mesa Solar Electric Generating System
BrightSource Energy's third solar thermal power tower proposal along the Colorado River near Blythe, San Bernardino County CA >>here (inactive)
Sandstone Solar Project
Up to 10 solar power towers near Crescent Dunes and Tonopah NV >>here
Soda Mountain Solar Project
Photovoltaic panel proposal in San Bernardino County CA >>here
Last Spring at Soda Mountain? >>here
Wind Projects (Active projects or applications):
Crescent Peak Wind Project >> Kulning Wind Project
Reactivated wind project in Clark County NV next to proposed Castle Mountains National Monument and Mojave National Preserve >>here (Secretary of Interior canceled the project but it is returning as a new application called Kulning Wind Project). See the proposed Avi Kwa Ame National Monument proposal here. (Put on Low Priority status)
Lava Ridge Wind Project
Controversial gigantic wind project proposal in Idaho encroaching into the Minidoka National Historic Site, where Japanese Americans were forcibly interned during WW II. The Visual landscape surrounding this historic site needs to be respected. >>here
Mohave County Wind Farm
On the White Hills and fan next to Lake Mead National Recreation Area in northwestern AZ, near Mt. Tipton Wilderness and by places where California condors have been sighted from Grand Canyon reintroductions >>here
Ocotillo Express Wind Facility
Pattern Energy's project on the boundary of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Imperial County CA >>here (in operation)
Spring 2011 Field Trip >>here
Spring Valley Wind Energy Project
Pattern Energy wants to build up to 85 giant 400-foot tall wind turbines in Spring Valley east of Ely NV, 12 miles from the boundary of Great Basin National Park. The site is home to Pygmy rabbits, Sage grouse, and Pronghorn antelope >>here (in operation)
Inactive or Withdrawn Wind Projects:
Granite Mountain Wind Energy Project
RES proposal to place wind turbines on a roadless pristine mountain in San Bernardino County CA, home to the rare Ford's Indra swallowtail >>here
Searchlight Wind Energy Project
Apex Energy's proposal to place giant wind turbines over the Searchlight Hills, Clark County NV >>here (Row of Way vacated by court)
Silurian Valley Wind and Solar Project
Iberdrola plan with wind and solar projects in this remote Mojave Desert valley southeast of Death Valley National Park, San Bernardino County, CA >>here (withdrawn)
Wilson Creek/Table Mountain Wind Project
This project has been canceled. A proposed 990 MW wind farm on 30,000 acres of beautiful Great Basin mountain range with elk and sage grouse, a popular recreation area in Lincoln County NV near Pioche >>here (withdrawn)
Wind Project Impacts - Photos of Construction in the Mojave Desert and Tehachapi Grassland >>here
Wind Project Proposed for Eastern Edge of Joshua Tree National Park >>here
Transmission Projects (Active):
Greenlink West Transmission Project
525 kV proposed transmission line from Reno to Las Vegas NV, proposed to open up much of western nevada to utility-scale solar energy development >>here
Coolwater-Lugo Transmission Project
A large Southern California Edison transmission project from Barstow CA south along State Route 247 which would open up huge swaths of desert and threaten local communities with energy sprawl >>here
Eldorado-Ivanpah Transmission Project
Southern California Edison proposal to upgrade and add lines in southern NV and eastern CA in Ivanpah Valley, to deliver future renewable energy to coastal cities >>here (completed)
Sunrise Powerlink
Southern California proposed mega-powerline to supposedly link wind and solar in the eastern deserts and Baja, Mexico to coastal cities in San Diego County CA, but also tied to fossil fuel >>here (completed)
SCE Proposes two New Renewable Energy Transmission Projects in the Mojave Desert >>here
Inactive Transmission Projects:
Green Path North Transmission Project
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power high-voltage line would cut through Big Morongo Canyon Preserve in San Bernardino County CA >>here (not active)
Storage Projects (increasingly important, but still questionable):
Lithium Mining >>here
Eagle Mountain Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Project
An area that should be part of Joshua Tree National Park, in Riverside County CA. Related to the renewable energy projects along the I-10 corridor >>here
Pumped Hydro Projects >>here
ARES Rail Storage Project
Advanced rail energy storage project in Pahrump NV on the alluvial fan of the Spring Range >>here
General:
Public Lands and Renewable Energy >>here
Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) >>here
Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative 2 (RETI) >>here
Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for CA, NV, AZ, NM, CO, UT >>here - Solar Done Right Response >>here
San Bernardino County Renewable Energy and Conservation Element (RECE) >>here
Inyo County CA Renewable Energy General Plan Amendment>>here
Las Vegas NV Resource Managament Plan >>here
More Renewable Energy Issues >>here
Renewable energy archive >>here
