Desert Energy Plan Gets Key Approvals (U-T San Diego)
A regulatory plan that would speed up renewable energy development across a vast section of Southern California's deserts got a public vetting at a meeting in San Diego on Tuesday.
Federal and state public agencies have endorsed a draft Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan designed to minimize the impact of solar, wind and geothermal power plants on delicate wildlife and habitat in an area spanning 22 million acres. The framework would streamline renewable energy permitting in areas within Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and a portion of eastern San Diego County (268,000 acres).
The California Energy Commission calculated that the state's needs will result in the construction of close to 20 gigawatts of renewable energy generation capacity by 2040 in the conservation area, with or without the new guidelines.
Documents and a webinar about the draft Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan are available at www.drecp.org.
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