Posted on 04/14/2014 11:03:38 PM PDT by SatinDoll
PRIMM, Nevada – As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above approach to energy, today Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar “flipped the switch” on the Enbridge Silver State North solar project, the first large-scale solar energy facility on U.S. public lands to deliver power to American consumers.
This milestone is in line with the administration’s broad commitment to expanding production of all sources of American made energy, including from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, which has doubled in the President’s first term, as well as domestic production of oil and gas resources, which have increased each year the President has been in office.
“This is a landmark day for solar energy and for the nation,” Salazar said at the dedication ceremony with state and company officials. “Silver State North was the first solar project we approved on public lands in Nevada and --18 months later -- the first of our priority projects to provide clean energy to the power grid. This is a model of industry and government working together to strengthen local economies, generating good jobs and affordable, reliable and sustainable power.”
The Interior Department has undertaken an unprecedented approach to permitting renewable energy on public lands. Prior to 2009, there were no solar energy projects permitted on public lands. Under Secretary Salazar and Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey’s leadership, Interior has authorized 29 large-scale renewable energy projects on or involving public lands, including 16 solar facilities, 5 wind farms, and 8 geothermal plants. When completed, these projects will provide more than 6,500 megawatts of power to communities across the West, enough to power more than 2 million homes.
“Public lands provide Americans with vital mineral and agricultural resources, as well as recreational opportunities that help power local economies and generate jobs around the nation,” said Bob Abbey, Director of the Bureau of Land Management. “Today in Clark County, Nevada, we are adding solar energy to that public lands’ portfolio of benefits. This project symbolizes a new partnership between government and industry that can responsibly tap the immense renewable energy resources of this great state, provide clean, reliable power to homes and businesses, and open a new chapter in the beneficial use of our nation’s public lands.”
Located 40 miles south of Las Vegas, Nevada, Silver State North is a 50-megawatt plant that will use photovoltaic technology to generate enough power for about 9,000 Nevada homes. Developed by First Solar and owned by Enbridge, the project employed more than 380 construction workers during peak construction and 650 individuals over the course of the project. NV Energy has a power purchase agreement to sell the solar project’s electricity to the Nevada market.
By harnessing the area’s vast solar resources, the Silver State North facility generates electricity with no air emissions, no waste production, and no water use. The plant, using technology with the smallest carbon footprint of any PV solar system, displaces about 42,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually – the equivalent of taking 8,000 cars off the road. The project site is strategically located near a major transmission hub.
Constructed on 618 acres of public land managed by Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, the solar project underwent full environmental analysis and public review. The BLM worked closely with federal, state and local partners, members of the environmental and conservation community, and interested stakeholders to protect wildlife and advance this environmentally sound project. First Solar and the BLM worked in concert with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop a relocation/translocation plan for desert tortoises found on the site. The BLM also required a natural color palette for painted structures and controlled night lighting, designed to reduce visual impacts on the local community.
The Bureau of Land Management oversees more than 2.5 million acres in Clark County, Nevada, including over 1.1 million acres managed for conservation. This includes over 709,000 acres of habitat the BLM has designated primarily for the conservation of the threatened desert tortoise.
Thank you for that succinct explanation of Bundy’s situation, Satin...;-)
Solar power for individual homes, when used smartly and in concert with other energy sources such as wood burning cook stoves and small wind towers for running pumps - all of this on a farm - seemed to work well. I have seen homes with solar panels that fed a complex of heating tubes in a sand bed under a house and a water heater. Because they were farmers and generally went to bed shortly after sunset and arose with the sun, they did not need huge amounts of electricity. That seemed to work well for them. I cannot see this in suburbia or a city.
Solar will not suffice for large-scale power production, for example, replacing a 1100-megawatt nuclear power plant.
Our neighbors roof panels crapped out at 15-years of age. They could hardly wait to get rid of them!
The Interior Department has undertaken an unprecedented approach to permitting renewable energy on public lands. Prior to 2009, there were no solar energy projects permitted on public lands. Under Secretary Salazar and Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey’s leadership, Interior has authorized 29 large-scale renewable energy projects on or involving public lands, including 16 solar facilities, 5 wind farms, and 8 geothermal plants. When completed, these projects will provide more than 6,500 megawatts of power to communities across the West, enough to power more than 2 million homes.
Bump!
“There have been a lot of people criticizing Clive Bundy because he did not pay his grazing fees for 20 years. The public is also probably wondering why so many other cowboys are supporting Mr. Bundy even though they paid their fees and Clive did not. What you people probably do not realize is that on every rancher’s grazing permit it says the following: “You are authorized to make grazing use of the lands, under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management and covered by this grazing permit, upon your acceptance of the terms and conditions of this grazing permit and payment of grazing fees when due.” The “mandatory” terms and conditions go on to list the allotment, the number and kind of livestock to be grazed, when the permit begins and ends, the number of active or suspended AUMs (animal units per month), etc. The terms and conditions also list specific requirements such as where salt or mineral supplements can be located, maximum allowable use of forage levels (40% of annual growth), etc., and include a lot more stringent policies that must be adhered to. Every rancher must sign this “contract” agreeing to abide by the TERMS AND CONDITIONS before he or she can make payment. In the early 90s, the BLM went on a frenzy and drastically cut almost every rancher’s permit because of this desert tortoise issue, even though all of us ranchers knew that cow and desert tortoise had co-existed for a hundred+ years. As an example, a family friend had his permit cut by 90%. For those of you who are non ranchers, that would be equated to getting your paycheck cut 90%. In 1976 there were approximately 52 ranching permittees in this area of Nevada. Presently, there are 3. Most of these people lost their livelihoods because of the actions of the BLM. Clive Bundy was one of these people who received extremely unfair and unreasonable TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Keep in mind that Mr. Bundy was required to sign this contract before he was allowed to pay. Had Clive signed on the dotted line, he would have, in essence, signed his very livelihood away. And so Mr. Bundy took a stand, not only for himself, but for all of us. He refused to be destroyed by a tyrannical federal entity and to have his American liberties and freedoms taken away. Also keep in mind that all ranchers financially paid dearly for the forage rights those permits allow - - not rights to the land, but rights to use the forage that grows on that land. Many of these AUMS are water based, meaning that the rancher also has a vested right (state owned, not federal) to the waters that adjoin the lands and allow the livestock to drink. These water rights were also purchased at a great price. If a rancher cannot show beneficial use of the water (he must have the appropriate number of livestock that drinks and uses that water), then he loses that water right. Usually water rights and forage rights go hand in hand. Contrary to what the BLM is telling you, they NEVER compensate a rancher for the AUMs they take away. Most times, they tell ranchers that their AUMS are “suspended,” but not removed. Unfortunately, my family has thousands of “suspended” AUMs that will probably never be returned. And so, even though these ranchers throughout the course of a hundred years invested thousands(and perhaps millions) of dollars and sacrificed along the way to obtain these rights through purchase from others, at a whim the government can take everything away with the stroke of a pen. This is the very thing that Clive Bundy single-handedly took a stand against. Thank you, Clive, from a rancher who considers you a hero.”
-Kena Lytle Gloeckner”
Great find!
Bump!
One more layer of the onion is peeled back...
This is all nothing more than appeasement towards the environmental wackos.
My father worked in the energy industry. He was a good source of information about what worked well for the large scale electrical grid.
Geothermal energy is fine except that it has natural-caused chemicals in its make-up that are extremely corrosive. Most, if not all, must be replaced frequently and that becomes expensive.
Dad used to refer to coal plants as ‘dirt burners’. Since he was a licensed nuclear engineer, one could say he was prejudiced!
About Enbridge
Enbridge Inc., a Canadian company, is a North American leader in delivering energy and one of the 2012 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations. As a transporter of energy, Enbridge operates, in Canada and the U.S., the world’s longest crude oil and liquids transportation system. The Company also has a growing involvement in the natural gas transmission and midstream businesses, and is expanding its interests in renewable and green energy technologies including wind and solar energy, hybrid fuel cells and carbon dioxide sequestration. As a distributor of energy, Enbridge owns and operates Canada’s largest natural gas distribution company, and provides distribution services in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and New York State. Enbridge employs approximately 6,900 people, primarily in Canada and the U.S. and is ranked as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers, and one of the Top 100 Companies to Work for in Canada. Enbridge’s common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol ENB. For more information, visit enbridge.com
About First Solar, Inc.
First Solar is a leading global provider of comprehensive photovoltaic (PV) solar systems which use its advanced thin-film modules. The company’s integrated power plant solutions deliver an economically attractive alternative to fossil-fuel electricity generation today. From raw material sourcing through end-of-life module collection and recycling, First Solar’s renewable energy systems protect and enhance the environment. For more information about First Solar, please visit www.firstsolar.com.
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First Solar Sets Joint Venture in China
By BRIAN SPEGELE
Updated May 11, 2011 12:01 a.m. ET
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748703730804576314670023399848
excerpts:
BEIJING—U.S. solar-panel maker First Solar Inc. and China Power International New Energy Holding Ltd. said they will collaborate on solar-energy projects in China, the U.S. and elsewhere.
The arrangement helps First Solar gain access to China’s solar sector amid shaky conditions in Europe, the world’s leading solar market.
China Power “has a tremendous advantage and strength in operating in China, and we have a tremendous advantage and strength in technology but also in building utility systems,” Kevin Berkemeyer, First Solar’s China representative, said at a Tuesday news conference.
The companies will explore opportunities within China. First Solar also will assist China Power, a unit of China Power New Energy Development Co. 0735.HK +2.20% , to find investment opportunities in the U.S. and elsewhere. China Power has planned 2 gigawatts of projects for the domestic market. First Solar has 2.4 gigawatts planned in North America.
“We are very pleased to build an extensive and in-depth relationship with First Solar, a global leader in solar photovoltaic technology,” said Li Xiaolin, China Power’s chairwoman.
Let's not forget about bird poop buildup...and bird carcass buildup (from birds fried by the solar panels).
All of this for a 50-megawatt plant that’ll be shut down in about 10 years.
There may be more than that to this situation. We just do not know what it is yet.
Are they paying property taxes ?
I wonder if Harry Reid will condemn and have Interstate 15 ripped out of Nevada/Arizona/Utah to protect the desert tortoise and this solar energy project.
Kindly answer them...Thanks!!
15 yrs is pretty old tech. The newer ones like mine should last considerably longer.
Oh, those were from the Nixon administration years and were removed sometime during the Reagan administration while I was in the Navy overseas.
I guess we could say, Stone Age tech!
The important factor here is that the homeowners were so disappointed in the performance that they’ve never tried the newer technologies.
Enbridge is big in oil pipelines (tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada) to lower Michigan. Several years ago their pipeline burst in the middle of the Kalamazoo River causing a massive oil spill where the spills downward into the river bed causing more environmental harm. It has cost billions to clean up and yet it still not done.
Enbridge has the rights to the oil pipeline that goes under the Mackinac Straits. Lets just say the locals are screaming about this one too.
Enbridge is here in my local community and this past summer natural gas lines have sprung leaks. You should see the mess that they create in the area.
Just a little bit of information of the environmental hazards that come with Enbridge in the uS. Hopefully this is not viewed off topic.
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