New Policy Encourages Solar Energy Development
on America’s Public Lands Policy supports clean energy initiative
SAN FRANCISCO—Rebecca Watson, assistant secretary of the Interior
for Land and Minerals Management, today announced a new land-management
policy designed to encourage the development of solar energy resources
on America’s public lands. Watson made the announcement during the
Solar Power 2004 conference in San Francisco, Calif.
“Our quality of life and economic security are dependent on a stable
and abundant supply of affordable energy,” Watson said. “Encouraging
the production and development of renewable energy on our public lands,
including solar energy, is part of the president’s National Energy
Policy.”
The new Solar Energy Development Policy establishes a framework for land
managers to use in processing right-of-way applications for solar energy
development projects on public lands administered by the Interior Department’s
Bureau of Land Management.
“The Solar Energy Development Policy is a nationwide framework
for authorizing commercial solar facilities on public lands,” Watson
said. “This is a way for the BLM to be proactive in responding to
changes in solar technology while protecting the environment. It also
supports an initiative by the Western Governors Association and the Department
of Energy to explore the feasibility of developing 30,000 megawatts of
clean energy in the West by 2015.”
Watson reminded the solar power industry leaders attending the meeting
that while domestic production of renewable energy is growing, experts
forecast that renewable energy alone cannot fill the gap between domestic
energy production and demand in the foreseeable future or in the next
20 years. Renewable sources supply 2 percent of our energy today, and
that’s expected to grow to 10 percent by 2025 according the Energy
Information Administration.
The Department of the Interior has established an impressive record over
the last three years promoting renewable energy development on public
lands. The Department manages 1 in every 5 acres of land in this country
and has long been a leader in support of the development and use of renewable
energy resources, including solar. More than 261 million acres of land,
primarily in the West, are managed by the BLM. Unlike parks and wildlife
refuges, BLM-managed lands are managed for multiple uses, including fossil
fuel and renewable energy development.
The president’s National Energy Policy emphasizes the need to develop
America’s domestic energy resources while diversifying our energy
portfolio and protecting the environment. The production of renewable
resources, including solar energy, is another way to help meet those needs,
especially for the growing communities of the West
“We support recent actions by Congress to provide federal production
tax credits to renewable energy producers. These tax incentives, which
were part of the President’s comprehensive energy bill, provide
the financial boost that many renewable energy projects need to become
established in the marketplace.”
Although solar energy currently represents only a small fraction of the
nation’s supply of electricity, the potential for solar energy to
contribute a greater share is significant, particularly in the Southwest.
Watson noted that at the national level, federal agencies are funding
research, purchasing and installing green power, providing loans, creating
the legal infrastructure for renewable development and identifying renewable
resources on federal lands.
A 2003 BLM and the U.S. Department of Energy report assessed the potential
for renewable energy resources on public lands managed by the BLM in 11
Western states. The report identified areas in Arizona, Southern California,
Nevada and New Mexico as the most promising areas for solar energy development
on public lands. Parts of Texas, Utah and Colorado also have excellent
solar resources, according to the report.
“The report shows that public lands hold abundant opportunities
for renewable energy development,” Watson said. “With this
new policy, we are getting ahead of the curve by implementing policies
and procedures before we have solar energy applications in hand. This
will enable us to work more effectively with applicants to facilitate
and encourage environmentally responsible solar energy development.”
“The 2003 report identified the top 25 BLM areas with high solar
energy development potential. I have requested the BLM use this information
in current and future land-use planning to prepare for development of
solar energy on public lands. It is important to understand that planning
is the precursor to all activity on BLM lands. If the potential impacts
of solar energy development are not addressed during the public process
of developing a land use plan, BLM cannot subsequently consider a solar
development proposal without a timely and costly amendment to the land-use
plan. Planning now puts us in a position to respond more quickly to solar
energy development.”
The BLM will process applications for commercial solar energy facilities
as right-of-way authorizations under the Federal Land Policy and Management
Act, the law that establishes BLM authority over the public lands. All
concentrating solar power systems and photovoltaic installations must
comply with the planning, environmental, National Environmental Policy
Act review and right-of-way requirements that the BLM uses to evaluate
all proposed commercial uses of public lands.
The policy also encourages the installation of renewable power sources,
including solar systems, at BLM facilities.
The production of renewable energy, including solar energy, is an
important way to meet the nation’s energy needs, as outlined in
the President’s National Energy Policy.
Renewable energy (excluding hydropower) currently supplies 2% of
the nation’s electricity needs.
Domestically generated energy from renewable sources has increased
30% since 1990, a trend that is expected to continue. As with wind power,
technological advances are expected to bring the production costs of
solar energy down to competitive levels.
Solar energy is one of the most abundant forms of natural energy.
The solar energy resources in the southwestern United States are some
of the finest in the world.
Insolation is the unit of measurement for the amount of sunlight
hitting an area of the Earth’s surface over a specific period
of time. The higher the insolation, the more electrical power that can
be produced. Geographic location, terrain and weather patterns determine
annual insolation for a given site.
Approximately 370 megawatts (MW) of solar power are already installed
in the West. 21 MW of photovoltaic (PV) cells and 350 MW of concentrating
solar power (CSP) are currently installed in southern California, the
largest existing solar capacity in the United States.
Seventeen states have adopted renewable energy portfolio standards
requiring a certain percentage of the state’s electricity to come
from renewable sources. Such standards in California, Nevada, New Mexico
and Arizona will result in more than 7,000 MW of renewable energy capacity
by 2015.
A report by the BLM and the Department of Energy (2003) shows that
public lands, primarily those in the Southwest, have a high potential
for solar energy production. The most promising areas are in Arizona,
southern California, Nevada and New Mexico. Parts of Texas, Utah and
Colorado are also identified as excellent prospects for solar energy
development.
The report identified the 25 BLM planning areas with the highest
solar energy development potential. BLM policy now requires that these
areas consider solar energy resources in their land use planning efforts.
The BLM Solar Energy Policy provides a nationwide framework for authorizing
commercial solar facilities on public lands.
BLM Field Offices will consider and authorize commercial solar facilities
as rights-of-way (ROWs) under the authority of the Federal Land Policy
and Management Act (FLPMA). Construction can proceed after approval
of a Plan of Development and the environmental review required by the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
ROW applications are identified as high priorities in the Field Office
workload and will be processed in a timely manner, using sound business
practices, on a first-come basis. ROW authorizations will be issued
with appropriate stipulations and conditions.
Real estate appraisals will be used by BLM managers to calculate
rental payments. Rental payments will be phased in over a three-year
period and updated annually using an index.
The BLM Solar Energy Policy supports the Western Governors Association’s
“Clean Energy Initiative” to explore the feasibility of
developing 30,000 MW of clean energy (15% of current regional demand)
in the West by 2015.
Department of Interior agencies will continue to use renewable energy,
including solar power, at their facilities. More than 650 photovoltaic
(PV) systems now power national park, wildlife refuge and BLM offices
and light campsites, pump water and record weather conditions used when
fighting wildland fires.
When planning and constructing new administrative facilities or resource-improvement
projects requiring electricity, BLM planners will consider using PV
systems and other forms of renewable energy where possible.
The Dangling Rope Marina at Lake Powell is powered by the largest
PV system installed by the National Park Service to date. Its 115kW
capacity saves an estimated 65,000 gallons of diesel fuel each year.
The Administration supports federal tax incentives for renewable energy
development (including solar and geothermal resources), transportation
subsidies for biomass, and new permitting authority for offshore wind
and wave energy projects.
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