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Large Solar Energy Projects

California's electric utility companies are required to using renewable energy to produce 20 percent of their power by 2010 and 33 percent by 2020. A main source of renewable power will be solar energy.

Many large solar energy projects are being proposed in California's desert area on federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. BLM has received right-of-way requests encompassing more than 300,000 acres for the development of approximately 34 large solar thermal power plants totaling approximately 24,000 megawatts. This number of projects have not yet reached the stage of an Application for Certification (AFC) with the California Energy Commission.

Solar thermal projects (above 50 MW) will require approvals from both the BLM and the Energy Commission prior to construction. Therefore, to provide joint National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review and a more efficient process, the BLM and Energy Commission have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (PDF file, 14 pages, 140 kb). This MOU also has attachments listing the solar projects the BLM is aware of (as of July 2007) and the time line for the joint review process.

This Web section will provide information about projects under the Energy Commission's jurisdiction (thermal power plant projects 50 MW or larger) or information about smaller-sized plants under other agencies' jurisdiction. Wind farms are not thermal power plants and are not listed here. This page also will not list the many small photovoltaic (PV) projects under the California Solar Initiative or the New Solar Homes Partnership.

Solar Thermal Projects Under Review or Announced*
As of December 9, 2008

You can use the BLM's Geocommunicator website at www.geocommunicator.gov/NILS-PARCEL2/map.jsp?MAP=ENERGY to obtain information about the project developer and generate topo and aerial maps of the particular projects.

Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Projects Announced*
As of December 1, 2008

Background

California's Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) was established by Senate Bill 1078 (Sher, Chapter 516, Statutes of 2002). It required the state's retail sellers of electricity - investor-owned utilities (IOUs), electric service providers (ESPs), and community choice aggregators (CCAs) - to procure 20 percent of their retail electricity sales with eligible sources of renewable energy by 2017. California's energy agencies subsequently committed to achieving the 20 percent target by 2010; seven years earlier than the target.

This 20 percent target was codified by the enactment of Senate Bill 107 (Simitian and Perata, Chapter 464, Statutes of 2006), which took effect on January 1, 2007. A higher, more ambitious goal was initially set, by the Energy Commission and the Public Utilities Commission in the Energy Action Plan, at 33 percent renewables by 2017, but Governor Schwarzenegger's Executive Order of November 2008 set the goal at 33 percent by 2020.

In creating the RPS, the Legislature underscored the importance of increasing the diversity, reliability, public health, and environmental benefits of the energy mix.

To reach the 33 percent goal, each retail seller of electricity must increase the percentage of its electrical load served by renewable energy by at least 1.0 percent annually, with certain cost constraints. Under the law, retail sellers of electricity include the state's IOUs, ESPs, and CCAs, but does not include local publicly owned electric utilities.

For more about the Renewables Portfolio Standard, please go to the Energy Commission's website page at: www.energy.ca.gov/portfolio/.

Earlier Large, Solar Projects Producing Power

Prior to the Renewable Portfolio Standards in 2002, 13 solar thermal power projects were planned in California, with 11 of those filing applications with the Energy Commission. Nine projects (Solar Energy Generating Station - SEGS I to IX), totaling 354 MW, were built. SEGS III to IX are owned by FPL Energy, and SEGS I and II are owned by Sunray Energy Inc.

One large photovoltaic (PV) array was built by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District near its Rancho Seco Nuclear Plant. It went on line in August 1984 and has an installed capacity of 3.19 MW.

Solar Two - Aerial view of the Solar On & Two facility near Daggett, California. The 10 megawatt solar tower research facility was closed in 1999. Picture courtesy of Google Earth.