On January 27th, 2012 the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA, Washington D.C., U.S.) and the Large-scale Solar Association (LSA) submitted comments on a key U.S. federal government planning document for the development of solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) plants on public lands in the Southwest United States.

The organizations called for the flexibility to develop solar power plants outside of approved Solar Energy Zones, near-term identification of new zones suitable for project development, and coordination of transmission in areas where solar development is occurring.

"In his State of the Union Address, President Obama laid out an agenda that calls for significant development of renewable energy on public lands," said SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch.

"The solar industry is up to the task. But project developers need clear rules of the road that balance the need for flexibility to build solar power plants outside of designated Solar Energy Zones with responsible stewardship of public lands, resources and wildlife."


Planning document originally issued in December 2010

The U.S. Department of the Interior and its Bureau of Land Management originally released the Supplemental Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for public comment in December 2010, with modifications to the document put forward in October 2011.

The PEIS established a framework for developing utility-scale solar projects in six states in the Western U.S., focusing on the establishment of Solar Energy Zones.

In addition to its other comments, SEIA and the LSA emphasized the continuing allotment of resources and staff necessary for the efficient processing of pending project permit applications.

2012-02-02| Courtesy: Solar Energy Industries Association; Image: U.S. Bureau of Land Management | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH

Our editorial selection of breaking solar news is published at:
www.solarserver.com/solar-magazine/solar-news/top-solar-news.html