DOINews: BLM: Secretary Jewell, Director Kornze 'Flip the Switch' on Desert Sunlight Solar Farm

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and BLM Director Neil Kornze yesterday joined California state and industry leaders to "flip the switch" on the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm, the nation's largest solar project on public lands that is now delivering clean, renewable energy to American consumers.

DOI Secretary Sally Jewell, BLM Director Neil Kornze and others "flip the switch" on the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm in Riverside County, California. Photo by Tami Heilemann, DOI.

Now operating at full capacity, the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm is providing 550 megawatts of electricity to the grid, enough energy to power 160,000 average homes. The facility is estimated to displace 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year – the equivalent to taking 60,000 cars off the road.

"Solar projects like Desert Sunlight are helping create American jobs, develop domestic renewable energy and cut carbon pollution," Jewell said. "I applaud the project proponents for their vision and entrepreneurial spirit to build this solar project, and commend Governor Brown for implementing policies that take action on climate change and help move our nation toward a renewable energy future."

Secretary Sally Jewell and BLM Director Neil Kornze are all smiles as they tour the Desert Sunlight facility, which is providing 550 megawatts of electricity to the grid, enough energy to power 160,000 average homes. Photo by Tami Heilemann, DOI.

Desert Sunlight is the sixth solar project approved on public lands by the BLM that is now operational. The wind, solar, and geothermal projects built on public lands since 2009 are producing more than 2,200 megawatts of power, or enough to power almost 700,000 average homes. An additional 2,500 megawatts is currently under construction, including eight solar projects in California and Nevada.

Public lands administered by BLM, especially the solar-rich states in the Southwest, play a key role in the President's Climate Action Plan to approve 20,000 megawatts of renewable energy on public land by 2020, as well as in meeting California's renewable-energy goals.

"This is an important day for solar energy, for California and for the nation," Kornze said. "The Desert Sunlight project is an example of how industry and government can work together to strengthen local economies, generate good jobs and provide affordable power."

Desert Sunlight, the sixth operational solar project approved on public lands by the BLM, uses more than 8 million photovoltaic modules to generate power with no air emissions, no waste production, and no water use. Photo by Tami Heilemann, DOI.

Nationwide, the BLM has approved 52 utility-scale renewable energy projects since 2009 – including 29 solar projects – with a total capacity of more than 14,000 megawatts. If built as approved, these projects would provide more than 21,000 jobs and power about 4.8 million homes. Before 2009, there were no solar projects approved on public lands.

Desert Sunlight is located on about 4,100 acres managed by the BLM in Riverside County, about 70 miles east of Palm Springs and six miles north of the rural community of Desert Center. The facility uses more than 8 million First Solar photovoltaic modules to generate power with no air emissions, no waste production, and no water use. The thin-film technology has the smallest carbon footprint of any photovoltaic technology. The renewable energy is sold to Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and Southern California Edison under long-term contracts.

Nationwide, the BLM has approved 52 utility-scale renewable energy projects since 2009 – including 29 solar projects – with a total capacity of more than 14,000 megawatts. Photo by Tami Heilemann, DOI.

The BLM issued its right-of-way grant for Desert Sunlight in August 2011, and the project underwent extensive environmental review and mitigation. The BLM worked in close coordination with Desert Sunlight, the National Park Service, and other stakeholders to significantly reduce the proposed project's total footprint down from the initially proposed 19,000 acres. The BLM is requiring that Desert Sunlight provide funding for acquisition and enhancement of more than 7,500 acres of suitable habitat for desert tortoise and other sensitive wildlife species to help mitigate the project's potential impacts.

By: Bureau of Land Management
Feb. 10, 2015