U.S. identified land that could support 100 GW of federal solar infrastructure
About 1,400 square miles of public land could be leased by the federal government for solar development, which would effectively double U.S. installed capacity. The Bureau of Land Management took a first step, approving 465 MW solar, 400 MW storage in California across two projects.
‘Build here,’ BLM says of Utah land targeted for up to 600 MW of solar
Milford Flats is available due to the Energy Act of 2020, which aims to deploy 25 GW of solar, wind, and geothermal on public lands no later than 2025.
Sunrise brief: Revised rules could make it easier to use public lands for solar
Also on the rise: LG will supply RWE with 200 MW of storage, SB Energy signs a PPA for a Texas solar project, and Invenergy lines up financing for a 200 MW Michigan solar project.
BLM plans rulemaking to encourage renewable energy on public lands
The BLM manages public lands that it said “have the potential to make significant contributions” to the nation’s renewable energy portfolio.
Comment period opens for 1 GW of solar + storage in the California desert
The Bureau of Land Management reviewed the projects’ potential environmental impacts, but issues may arise as the public comment period opens.
Recurrent Energy wins federal approval for $550 million solar and storage project
The facility will occupy around 2,000 acres of BLM-administered lands some 13 miles west of Blythe, in Riverside County, California.
Biden’s DOI revokes Trump-era attack on Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan
The Interior Department reversed a Trump administration stance, and said the DRECP is a landscape-level plan that streamlines renewable energy development while conserving desert ecosystems and providing outdoor recreation opportunities.
BLM advances 350 MW solar project proposed on public lands
President Biden recently ordered the Interior Department to help boost responsible renewable energy development on public property.
Solar opportunities ‘ignored’ across 100 million acres in the Southwest
The Bureau of Land Management “has ignored most possibilities” for utility-scale solar “on its vast land holdings across the solar-rich Southwest,” says a paper. Renewable energy development accounts for less than 1% of economic activity on BLM lands, while oil and gas account for 70%, according to BLM data.
It’s getting harder to develop solar on US federal lands
Now that the two-year tax holiday enjoyed by solar and wind projects operating on federally-owned lands is over, project owners and developers are facing back rent with more expensive leasing costs looming in 2021. With federal land being critical to a renewable future, what can be done?
