| Recently In a report entitled "On the Rise; Solar | | | | Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar to request that |
| Thermal Power and the Fight Against Global | | | | 12 proposed solar plans for the desert lands be |
| Warming" released by Environment Florida, a | | | | scrapped, citing potential habitat destruction. The |
| definitive statement was made that America has | | | | complaint applies to a small fraction of the 165 |
| the potential to meet all of its current electricity | | | | pending wind and solar energy leases on 600,000 |
| needs with large central concentrating solar power | | | | acres of former railroad land. Feinstein says that |
| plants. The report found that solar thermal power | | | | developing the land goes against the land's |
| plants covering an area of 100 x 100-mile area in | | | | intended purpose and puts wildlife in harm's way. |
| the Southwest could power the entire nation while | | | | "Unfortunately, many of the sites now being |
| slashing global warming emissions. | | | | considered for leases are completely inappropriate |
| The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has | | | | and will lead to the wholesale destruction of some |
| identified the potential for more than 7,000 | | | | of the most pristine areas in the desert," Feinstein |
| gigawatts (GW) of concentrating solar power | | | | wrote in the letter. She is particularly concerned |
| generation on lands in the southwestern United | | | | about the desert between Joshua Tree National |
| States alone - more than six times current U.S. | | | | Park and the Mojave National Preserve. The solar |
| electricity consumption. There were other areas | | | | projects could potentially split up the wildlife |
| of the United States mentioned as well, such as | | | | habitats. |
| Florida, the mountain west, and the Great Plains | | | | Doesn't this remind you of some of the |
| that can also generate significant power from the | | | | arguments you hear when people want to build |
| sun. | | | | prisons or even airports? No one wants them in |
| This sounds like a good plan, doesn't it? Deserts in | | | | their backyard. Think of all the good that can |
| the Southwest are generally large areas of hot, | | | | come from using the desert areas for solar |
| sandy, flat land covered in scrubs, mesquite, and | | | | power generation of more than 7,000 gigawatts |
| cactus that isn't used for much of anything. | | | | (GW). Solar power plants are increasingly |
| Actually it sounds like the perfect place for large | | | | cost-competitive with other power generation |
| tracts of solar panels lined up to catch the hot | | | | technologies and do not produce carbon dioxide, |
| desert sun. So wouldn't it be a good idea to use | | | | the main global warming pollutant. The cost of |
| that land for the good of everyone and the | | | | energy from solar thermal power plants is |
| environment by establishing solar power plants | | | | estimated to be competitive in cost with |
| there producing the electricity that we all need? | | | | theoretical coal-fired power plants that capture |
| What could there be to which you could object? | | | | and store their carbon dioxide emissions and with |
| California Senator Dianne Feinstein wrote to the | | | | new nuclear power plants. |