Solar Power in the Mojave

With the growing demand for energy and skyrocketing prices of oil, the solar power plants in the United States' Mojave Desert offer an clean alternative. Reducing foreign oil dependency not only is good for national security but it also relieves pressure on the atmosphere and pollution. Using the Mojave Desert to advance solar power technology and decrease dependency on nonrenewable energy sources in the US is a good investment to promote a cleaner, more sustainable planet.

To reduce oil needs in a country with an ever-growing demand for energy, California has led the way in using alternative energy sources, such as solar power. Pacific Gas and Electric has signed the largest solar deal in history to provide about 375,000 Californian homes with solar electricity that will be produced in the Mojave Desert. Furthermore, as of 2010 PG&E is required by California law to produce 20% of its electricity through solar power. Thus, the development of the new Ivanpah facility is a big step for renewable energy. There are currently nine solar plants in the desert with the latest being the Ivanpah Plant.

The Mojave Desert is the perfect place for solar energy plants in the US because of its ideal insulation. Those states containing the desert; Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah; are also in a unique economic situation to sell solar power produced in the Mojave to neighboring states. As a net exporter of energy, Nevada and other states are in a position for large economic growth and development. This growth is only aided by the Housing Stimulus Bill passed last April that gives tax credits for producing renewable energy such as solar and also geothermal and wind as opposed to using coal or oil.Furthermore, on August 31, 2007 the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System was proposed, calling to build three new solar plants near the Ivanpah Dry Lake in San Bernardino, CA. This would further California's development in solar technology, with construction beginning in 2009 and ending in 2012. Ivanpah is to be the largest solar power plant in the country and is proposed to double the amount of solar thermal energy produced in the US today. During the review of this project NEPA collaborated with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to avoid duplication of efforts, share expertise, and also foster intergovernmental relations between the local, state, and federal levels. What's more, last February the Department of Energy loaned Brighthouse Energy (the developer of Ivanpah) $1.37 billion-- the largest loan in this nature to date.

The development of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is good progress in the transition from nonrenewable energy plants to renewable ones. Although the energy created there will only serve those people in the nearby region, I am sure that new technology will emerge to make solar energy from the Mojave available to a much greater area. As California and others in the Mojave lead the way in solar technology use, other states will soon follow suit as the need for renewable energy increases.