Although U.S. adoption has been slow, some recent deals may turn the tide. A typical installation consists of solar panels on pontoons tethered to the bottom of a reservoir or retention pond—considered easier to utilize than lakes. Floating or underwater cables carry direct current to an inverter on shore where it is converted to alternating current and sent to the local grid. Engineers must consider multiple factors: systems have to withstand high winds and waves, panels must be resistant to corrosion and anchors have to last for 25 years or more.
The rise of wind and solar power, coupled with the increasing social, environmental and financial costs of hydropower projects, could spell the end of an era of big dams. But even anti-dam activists say it’s too early to declare the demise of large-scale hydro.
“Last year, when the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power kicked off a new program to buy electricity from local solar installations, city leaders along with environmentalists and business groups said it would be the nation’s largest urban rooftop solar program and would allow hundreds of building owners to create sun-fueled power plants on their roofs or over parking lots.”
“The Obama administration’s announcement Monday of sweeping new rules aimed at curbing global warming emissions from power plants could boost profits at Silicon Valley companies that make solar panels, energy efficiency software and other clean technology.”
“One by one, a parade of Owens Valley residents rose at a public hearing Tuesday to assail the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s plan to meet its renewable energy goals by covering 2 square miles of high desert with 1 million solar panels.”
“The sun has gone down on a farmer’s plans to build solar panels on what he describes as salty, unproductive land on Roberts Island.
“The death of Michael J. Robinson’s would-be solar farm shows how increasingly difficult it can be to complete a non-agricultural project within the highly regulated inner core of the Delta.”
“Quietly whirring away in a dusty field in the Central Valley is a shiny solar energy machine that may someday solve many of California’s water problems.
“It’s called the WaterFX solar thermal desalination plant, and it has been turning salty, contaminated irrigation runoff into ultra-pure liquid for nearly a year for the Panoche Water and Drainage District.”
“Despite last week’s showers, the lack of rain in California this winter is having a dire impact on the rivers and reservoirs that power the state’s hydroelectricity plants.
“But the abundance of sunshine has been ideal for solar power, which is stepping in to fill the anticipated drop-off in hydroelectricity generation.”
“It takes L.A. at least 12 to 13 weeks to approve and inspect rooftop panels for homeowners, according to estimates provided by the DWP. That’s roughly five times what it takes in San Diego and Sacramento.”
“Imperial Irrigation District is starting the new year with a plan to increase the number of its customers installing rooftop solar by reducing by a third the cash rebates it offers for such projects — even though that could mean some ratepayers planning to go solar could lose thousands of dollars in expected incentives.”
“Over the objections of critics, Los Angeles is moving ahead with plans to build a $680-million 200-megawatt solar energy plant within view of this desolate Eastern Sierra site that was a Japanese American internment camp during World War II.”
“Over the objections of critics, Los Angeles is moving ahead with plans to build a $680-million 200-megawatt solar energy plant within view of this desolate Eastern Sierra site that was a Japanese American internment camp during World War II.”
“San Bernardino County supervisors on Tuesday, Dec. 3, endorsed new rules to protect communities and natural resources from potential conflicts with commercial solar developments.
“All but killed by the federal government three years ago, an innovative way of financing home solar installations may be poised for a comeback. And San Francisco officials want to be part of that resurgence.”
From The Bakersfield Californian, in a commentary by Lois Henry:
“A water grab is a water grab is a water grab. No matter how AquaHelio Resources LLC tries to dress it up, that’s what I believe its proposed Fremont Valley Preservation Project amounts to. I wrote about this mysterious company’s initial proposal last year when it was just a solar/water banking project.”
“Construction of the California Valley Solar Ranch, one of two commercial photovoltaic plants on the Carrizo Plain, in the San Luis Obispo County, is complete.”
“SMUD is launching a new clean energy project to help improve efficiency at its natural gas-fired power plant. The U.S. Energy Department has given the utility $10 million to test the technology. …
“The technology uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight and focus it on water to produce steam.”
“BrightSource Energy’s Palen solar project will in all likelihood result in the death of migratory and other birds, and state officials have no plan as yet on how to minimize this and some of the other wildlife impacts of the solar thermal plant, with its two soaring 750-foot towers surrounded by thousands of reflecting mirrors.”
“The upscale Sacramento suburb of Roseville will buy 325,000 megawatt-hours of electrical power from a solar facility more than 260 miles south of the city, in a Kern County town more readily known for oil wells than solar fields. Roseville will buy all the power from First Solar’s Lost Hills solar facility for four years.”
“For years, the solar industry has complained about wide disparities in the permitting fees California cities charge for solar installations on homes, schools, churches and retail stores, not to mention the amount of red tape and time associated with getting a permit processed. Now nine East Bay cities — Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Hayward, Oakland, Richmond and San Leandro — have joined forces to streamline the permitting process …
“The collaborative effort, three years in the making, could serve as a blueprint for str
