Mojave Desert an Oasis for Renewable Energy Projects

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The Desert Renewable Energy and Conservation Plan (DRECP), initiated by the state of California and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), was created to help California meet its goal of 50% renewable energy generation by 2030. The state of California will need 20,000 megawatts (MW) of new renewable wind, solar and geothermal capacity and, guided by the Bureau of Land Management, will initially set aside 388,000 acres of public land in the Mojave Desert for this purpose. This could rise to as much as 800,000 acres in later, additional phases to help meet this renewable energy goal.

The DRECP will advance state and federal conservation goals in California's desert areas, identify appropriate areas for renewable energy projects and facilitate more efficient renewable energy project permitting in designated areas set aside for those projects.

Stakeholders supporting the plan include renewable developers EDF Renewable Energy (San Diego, California), First Solar Incorporated (NASDAQ:FSLR) (Tempe, Arizona), Iberdrola Renewables (Valencia, Spain), Brightsource Energy Corporation (Oakland, California) and SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ:SPWR).

Currently, Industrial Info is tracking 55 renewable energy projects valued at $21.8 billion in the Mojave Desert, which spans counties mostly in southeastern California and southern Nevada, as well as in southern Utah and northern Arizona.

The Mojave Desert is one of the most promising areas in the world for the development of large, utility-scale solar energy projects. Temperatures in the Mojave Desert can reach over 113 degrees, with 124 petawatts of solar radiation reaching the earth over this area during the hottest months. The largest solar thermal power plant in the Mojave Desert, developed by BrightSource Energy and constructed by Bechtel Corporation (San Francisco, California), is the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Station (ISEGS), boasting 392 MW of renewable generation.

California broke a record for solar energy generation in July, with more than 8 gigawatts of generation, which is enough electricity for 2 million homes. Nevada has over 1,300 MW of solar generation installed, making it the fifth-highest in the country and over the next five years the state expects to construct an additional 2,408 MW of renewable solar generation.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.