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The Opportunities And Challenges In The Chinese Solar Market
Nov 10, 2015 | Forbes
China remains the largest, and one of the fastest-growing solar markets in the world. The country is poised to install over 17 GW of new photovoltaic capacity this year, accounting for almost a third of projected global solar demand. -
IEA talks Energy Transition, but still low-balls future growth of wind and solar
Nov 11, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Christian Roselund
IEA's World Energy Outlook 2015 acknowledges the increasing importance of non-hydro renewable energy, but retains unrealistically pessimistic estimates of cost reduction and future market growth. -
Half Of All Power Plants Built Last Year Were 'Green'
Nov 10, 2015 | Huffington Post
By Alexander C. Kaufman
Humans must drastically curb carbon emissions in the coming decades or face environmental catastrophe, as temperatures are expected to climb to levels that scientists predict would radically alter the earth's climate by the end of the century. -
Renewable energy investment predicted to surge
Nov 11, 2015 | The Guardian
By Phillip Inman
Between the tropics and probably as far as the 33rd parallel, the sun could soon be a major source of energy for households and businesses alike. -
RE provides half of new power in 2014, closes in on coal – IEA
Nov 10, 2015 | Recharge
By Christopher Hopson
Renewable energy has become the second-largest source of electricity generation after coal and contributed almost half of the world’s new power capacity in 2014, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). -
UK: Solar again tops popularity charts in latest poll
Nov 10, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Ian Clover
Official government opinion poll on public attitudes to energy finds that solar is yet again the most popular, gaining 80% approval in poll that now tests mood of the nation every six, as opposed to three, months. -
Indian States Agree To Abolish Charges On Renewable Energy Transmission
Nov 11, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Smiti Mittal
India plans to have an installed renewable energy capacity of 175 GW by March 2022. But this target cannot be achieved without a widespread transmission network, as not all Indian states are equally blessed with renewable energy resources. -
Bangladesh Plans Over 3 GW Renewable Energy Capacity By 2021
Nov 11, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Smiti Mittal
With a likely aim to strengthen its power sector, reduce costs, and increase energy access, Bangladesh has announced ambitious plans to set up renewable energy projects. -
Lower Austria Claims 100% Renewable Electricity
Nov 11, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Glenn Meyers
Lower Austria, the largest of Austria’s nine states, has announced it now generates 100% of its electricity from renewable sources. -
California Desert Renewable Energy Document Released
Nov 10, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Carolyn Whetzel
California and federal officials released the final environmental document Nov. 10 for a plan to guide and streamline development of utility-scale renewable energy projects on 10 million acres of federal land in the California desert.
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The Opportunities And Challenges In The Chinese Solar Market
Nov 10, 2015 | Forbes
China remains the largest, and one of the fastest-growing solar markets in the world. The country is poised to install over 17 GW of new photovoltaic capacity this year, accounting for almost a third of projected global solar demand. This marks an increase from a cumulative installed capacity of just 3 GW in 2011. While much of the growth has been brought about by attractive incentive mechanisms ($83.3 billion in green energy subsidies in 2014, per the United Nations Environment Program), the industry has been contending with structural issues as well. In this note, we take a look at some of the trends that could drive the Chinese solar market in the near term.
Aggressive Government Targets, Urgency On The Climate Front
China’s National Energy Administration – which oversees energy policy – has apparently outlined a 100 GW installation target TGT +1.24% for solar by 2020 under the country’s five-year plan for 2016-2020. However, analysts and industry experts view this number as being relatively conservative, and it’s widely expected that the target will be much higher when the plan is officially announced. For instance, Xinhua, China’s official press agency, has reported that solar capacity could hit 150 GW by 2020. This could result in solid growth for Chinese solar manufacturers; the country’s total solar photovoltaic power capacity stood at 35.8 GW as of June 2015. Assuming that installed capacity grows to about 45 GW by year end 2015, this would require installations of about 21 GW per year over the next five years to meet that potential 150 GW target.
While the exact policy incentives that will support such a rapid build-out remain unclear at this point, there are a few good reasons why the government will continue to invest aggressively in solar, despite the country’s recent economic woes. China is the world’s largest polluter, by far, and there is likely to be a sense of urgency to address environmental issues while continuing to meet domestic electricity needs. Additionally, the landmark climate deal that China signed with the United States in 2014 requires China to reduce its carbon emissions beginning from 2030 or earlier, while increasing energy use from zero-emission sources to 20% by 2030. This should ensure that the government stays committed to renewables over the long term.
Subpar Distributed Generation Growth, Weak Grid Infrastructure
There are several structural issues that will also need to be addressed in the Chinese solar market in order to drive further growth. Firstly, unlike most other developed solar markets, China’s distributed generation segment has significantly trailed the utility-scale segment. This will need to be a key focus area in driving long-term growth, since the DG DGIT +% market is typically a less volatile source of demand when compared to the utility-scale market. During the first half of this year, distributed generation accounted for just 15% of total installations in China, while it accounted for over 40% of total installations in the U.S. There are multiple factors holding back the distributed solar market in China, including a dearth of financing options for small-scale projects, permitting and regulatory hurdles, a lack of suitable rooftops and property rights issues between developers and rooftop owners.
Additionally, the utility-scale sector also faces challenges in the form of weak grid infrastructure. Close to 10% of China’s solar capacity remained unused during the first half of 2015, as the government halted power flows from solar projects due to grid congestion, according to the National Energy Administration. This problem is not unique to solar, as wind producers have also had trouble connecting to the grid. According to Reuters, roughly 20% of China’s wind power capacity was curtailed in Q1 2015. The weak grid capacity hurts solar installations and prevents project owners from realizing the feed-in-tariff payments to which they may be entitled. Separately, Chinese electricity consumption grew at the slowest rate in three decades during the first half of the year, with supply surpassing demand. While the strong electric supply could have some short-term implications for the solar space, it shouldn’t hinder long-term growth, as solar’s share in the overall generation mix is likely to increase further, replacing some fossil fuel-powered plants.
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IEA talks Energy Transition, but still low-balls future growth of wind and solar
Nov 11, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Christian Roselund
IEA's World Energy Outlook 2015 acknowledges the increasing importance of non-hydro renewable energy, but retains unrealistically pessimistic estimates of cost reduction and future market growth.
Among publications on the future of global energy flows, the International Energy Agency's (IEA) World Energy Outlook (WEO) holds a special place. While the IEA is one of the most prestigious agencies for producing information on global energy across sectors, WEO forecasts consistently fail to keep pace with reality regarding the rise of renewable energy.
This flaw is continued in WEO 2015, which was released today. The report notes that there is an “energy sector transition underway in many parts of the world”, and that renewables have already become the second-largest source of electricity, due to 130 GW being installed in 2014.
However, even in its “New Policies” scenario IEA predicts that renewable energy growth will essentially flat-line, with only 144 GW installed annually through 2040. This is in stark contrast to decades of sharply growing wind and solar deployment, and IEA gives no explanation for the divergence between this odd assumption and historical growth rates.
Part of this appears to be due to IEA vastly underestimating falling solar and wind costs, again with a seeming disregard for historical trends. “A 40% cost drop by 2040 is ludicrously conservative,” Bloomberg New Energy Finance CEO Michael Liebreich told pv magazine.
Liebreich estimates that the global solar industry alone is growing 30% annually, and that costs are falling 20% with every doubling – meaning that a 40% cost reduction is likely to be achieved in less than 10 years, not 25.
“You are going to see much more substantial cost drops in solar,” states Liebreich.
When IEA does mention the future growth of clean energy in the report's Executive Summary, in the fact sheets presented this is often within the context of global pledges made in advance of the COP21 meeting in Paris in late November. More than 150 nations have made commitments to reduce carbon emissions in advance of the global conference.
However, the two examples which IEA cites – the U.S. Clean Power Plan and China's announcements of expanded carbon markets – will not necessarily be make-or-break events for renewable energy deployment.
Mandatory compliance under the Clean Power Plan does not start until 2022, and by this time solar and wind markets are likely to expand beyond Clean Power Plan targets due to raw economic competitiveness. A recent report by Texas' grid operator predicts installed solar in the state will grow 50-fold to 2030 even without the Clean Power Plan, and that the plan will not have a great impact on the scale of deployment.
Likewise, China continues to ramp up its targets for annual solar deployment, and carbon markets have not been an essential policy driver for solar and wind markets in China – or anywhere else, for that matter.
This does not mean that these or the policies which have supported wind and solar, are irrelevant. BNEF's Liebreich notes that even with falling oil prices, clean energy investments remain strong.
“We are seeing investments holding up, and the question is why is it holding up, it is a combination of policy drivers,” notes Liebreich, who references renewable portfolio standards and existing power plant pollution standards in the United States. “There's a kind of a nutcracker effect between falling costs and the policy drivers.”
In the report, there are plenty of details that both the IEA and its clean energy critics can agree. These include a plateauing of coal demand in China and a de-coupling of energy demand and economic growth in developed nations. Also, IEA has acknowledged that renewable energy will be the leading source of new energy to 2040.
While describing the agency's solar forecast as “overly conservative”, Liebreich calls the 2015 report a “landmark WEO” due in part to the statements about the transition to renewables.
The rate of this transition to renewable energy is still hotly debated. Here, IEA's track record is very poor.
A report by Energy Watch Group released in September found that the 180 GW of solar PV which WEO 2010 projected would be installed in 2024 was achieved in January 2015. The report similarly found that wind capacity in 2010 exceeded 260% and 104% the agency's 2002 and 2004 projections for that year.
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Half Of All Power Plants Built Last Year Were 'Green'
Nov 10, 2015 | Huffington Post
By Alexander C. Kaufman
Humans must drastically curb carbon emissions in the coming decades or face environmental catastrophe, as temperatures are expected to climb to levels that scientists predict would radically alter the earth's climate by the end of the century.
Luckily, the transition from an economy powered by coal, gas and oil to one fueled by low-carbon renewables has already begun.
Half of all new power plants built last year produced green energy, in what is one of the "clear signs that an energy transition is underway," the International Energy Agency said in a report published Tuesday.
Renewables are now the second-largest source of electricity after coal, according to the 28-country organization's 2015 World Energy Outlook report. Renewables are set to overtake coal as the largest source of electricity generation by the early 2030s, the report said.
By 2040, the European Union is expected to generate 50 percent of its electricity from renewables, China and Japan should hit 30 percent, and the United States and India plan to surpass 25 percent.
But this is no time to rest on laurels.
The United Nations' COP21 climate talks are set to begin in Paris at the end of the month. While a growing number of corporations and countries have pledged to reduce their emissions, global temperatures are still expected to rise to unsustainable levels.
Even if countries fully enact their latest pledges to reduce carbon emissions, average temperatures will rise by 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100, according to data cited by Bloomberg from Climate Action Tracker, a joint venture between four European institutions. Scientists predict that a temperature increase above 2 degrees Celsius will radically alter the planet, melting glaciers, increasing sea levels and making weather more extreme and less predictable.
"As the largest source of global greenhouse-gas emissions, the energy sector must be at the heart of global action to tackle climate change," Fatih Birol, the agency's executive director, said in a statement. "World leaders meeting in Paris must set a clear direction for the accelerated transformation of the global energy sector."
That transformation is gaining steam as a groundswell of companies vows to quit carbon.
The number of companies putting a price on their own carbon emissions tripled since last year, according to a report released in September by the environmental data nonprofit CDP. Assigning a cost to the production of greenhouse gases establishes a financial incentive for companies to wean themselves off fossil fuels.
To boot, an unlikely coalition of corporate behemoths earlier this year pledged to transition to 100 percent renewable energy, with several expecting to reach that goal in the next decade.
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Renewable energy investment predicted to surge
Nov 11, 2015 | The Guardian
By Phillip Inman
Between the tropics and probably as far as the 33rd parallel, the sun could soon be a major source of energy for households and businesses alike.
Countries such as Mexico and Indonesia, long dependent on cheap home-produced oil and coal, are realising that a solar panel on every roof can reduce poverty by lowering energy costs as well as minimising the destabilising weather effects from higher CO2 emissions.
As the International Energy Agency (IEA) says in its World Energy Outlook 2015, the tumbling cost of installing photovoltaics, as much as a commitment to limiting climate change, is persuading these populous countries to switch to renewables. It predicts a cumulative $7.4trn global investment in renewable energy by 2040.
Indonesia has forged ahead by limiting investment subsidies that have underpinned coal, oil and gas production for decades. China is also beginning to make the switch to renewables while moving away from dirty, energy-intensive industries.
The result, says the IEA, could limit the demand for oil and keep the price relatively low for the rest of the decade.
By 2030, the share of low-carbon power generation could grow to almost 45%, putting a lid on power emissions and containing a 40% rise in energy demand.
But global investment in renewable energy may not be as large as it seems. The IEA’s $7.4trn figure represents only 15% of the total investment in global energy supply by 2040. So oil, coal and gas are still a major part of the energy mix 25 years from now.
And predictions of a low oil price – possibly no more than $80 a barrel stretching beyond 2020 – could be upset by India. By 2040, the IEA says, the country’s energy demand will almost match that of the US, even though demand per head will remain 40% below the world average.
Without a push to adopt renewables, India’s galloping demand for energy could send oil and gas prices spiralling up and scupper any hopes of limiting CO2 emissions.
Should it invest in solar farms, India must persuade hundreds of millions of car drivers to ditch their petrol vehicles and thousands of road hauliers their diesel trucks, a stumbling block that could be beyond its democratically elected leaders.
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RE provides half of new power in 2014, closes in on coal – IEA
Nov 10, 2015 | Recharge
By Christopher Hopson
Renewable energy has become the second-largest source of electricity generation after coal and contributed almost half of the world’s new power capacity in 2014, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).Renewables are on course to overtake coal as the largest source of global power generation by the early 2030s, said the body.
The IEA in its World Energy Outlook 2015 forecasts that renewables-based generation could reach 50% in the EU by 2040, above 30% in China and Japan, and above 25% in the US and India.
“As the largest source of global greenhouse-gas emissions, the energy sector must be at the heart of global action to tackle climate change,” says Fatih Birol, IEA executive director.
“The IEA’s World Energy Outlook shows that the transformation of the world’s power systems is unfolding before our eyes,” says Giles Dickson, chief executive of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).
“This is an incredible shift and shows how far the renewables and wind industry has advanced in recent years. When wind power was in its infancy it was quite expensive, but costs have come down significantly.
“Electricity from new onshore wind farms in Europe now costs less than coal, nuclear and gas. That gives governments a golden opportunity to accelerate the transition to low carbon energy.”
However, Dickson says governments have to put in place the right policies to support investments in wind and other renewables. “Above all they need to provide clear and stable regulatory frameworks and market conditions that send the right signals to investors."
“This is a hugely encouraging report which shows the success of renewable energy globally,” says Juliet Davenport, chief executive of UK green energy supplier Good Energy. “We must encourage the UK government to keep pace with the transition and not turn its back on the path to decarbonisation.
“Rather than relying on the instability of imported power from abroad, UK voters want to see more clean, home-grown sources of electricity.
"The latest government poll shows that 80% of us back solar and 66% support onshore wind. People clearly want to see a transition to renewable energy in the UK.”
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UK: Solar again tops popularity charts in latest poll
Nov 10, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Ian Clover
Official government opinion poll on public attitudes to energy finds that solar is yet again the most popular, gaining 80% approval in poll that now tests mood of the nation every six, as opposed to three, months.
More than once will David Cameron and fellow prominent members of the Conservative Party cabinet have sought to remind the electorate that they listen to the concerns of the people, yet once again it seems that deaf ears are the default setting when it comes to solar energy.
A recent poll, conducted by the government’s very own Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) found today that the public opinion is firmly in favor of solar energy, despite recent decisions by the government to vastly withdraw subsidy support for the technology.
In August a proposal was set forth by DECC to slash the feed-in tariff (FIT) for small residential solar systems by 87%, with further reductions for larger rooftop installations and changes to the FIT pre-accreditation process.
Community solar projects have also had their tax relief rescinded in what has amounted to a full-on assault on the sector – an assault that the Solar Trade Association (STA) believes will lead to the loss of around 27,000 jobs.
However, today’s poll shows that solar is the U.K. public’s preferred source of energy at 80% approval, more than any other type of conventional or renewable energy source.
The poll used to be asked every three months but DECC recently made the controversial decision to run the survey every six months instead, perhaps mindful that the responses were growing increasingly at odds with government policy.
"These very high levels of public support for solar show yet again that this sunshine technology is the nation’s favorite source of energy," said STA head of external affairs Leonie Greene. "This is also shown by the more than 55,000 responses to the FIT public consultation received by DECC – an unprecedented number showing the widespread outrage at these extreme cuts."
The results of the DECC poll follow another ComRes survey last week for the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) that revealed that the U.K. public are largely supportive of renewable subsidies, with 73% backing support for solar and 66% backing support for wind.
"No other technology empowers consumers and communities to take charge of their energy bill and act on climate change like solar power," added Greene. "By cutting support for solar the government is taking power away from people, organizations and communities all over the U.K. – and they don’t like it one bit."
The DECC poll found that support for shale gas stands at just 23%, and nuclear is at 36% - two technologies recently championed by the government.
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Indian States Agree To Abolish Charges On Renewable Energy Transmission
Nov 11, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Smiti Mittal
India plans to have an installed renewable energy capacity of 175 GW by March 2022. But this target cannot be achieved without a widespread transmission network, as not all Indian states are equally blessed with renewable energy resources.
Last month, the Indian Minister for Power, Coal, and Renewable Energy announced that his department is planning to remove the charges levied on inter-state transmission of electricity from renewable energy projects.
This move is critical for the implementation of one of the Government’s most ambitious programs. The Government aims to set up 20 GW solar power capacity through 25 ultra mega solar power projects across several Indian states. Power from these projects will have to be supplied to other states as well, since all states have a solar power purchase obligation, but not all have the resources to meet that obligation through in-state generation.
According to media reports, 9 states have communicated their willingness to abolish a long list of charges currently levied on inter-state transmission. These include wheeling, cross-subsidy, banking, and other charges. Removal of these charges will directly impact the final cost of power at the consumers’ end. Such a move will also make renewable energy-based power attractive to large industrial and commercial consumers looking for low-cost consistent power supply.
India has required the target to have a 40% share of renewable energy in the country’s installed power capacity by 2030 in the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution to the United Nations. The Government also has a target to have 15% share of renewable energy in total power consumption by 2022, this will include at least 3% specifically from solar power. To achieve this target, the Government has already launched the ‘Green Energy Corridors’ project that will implement a dense network of new transmission lines dedicated for electricity generated from renewable energy projects. Since this new grid will be spread all across the country, it is essential that all states have a uniform policy to promote uptake of electricity generated from renewable energy projects.
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Bangladesh Plans Over 3 GW Renewable Energy Capacity By 2021
Nov 11, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Smiti Mittal
With a likely aim to strengthen its power sector, reduce costs, and increase energy access, Bangladesh has announced ambitious plans to set up renewable energy projects.
The Bangladeshi Government has set a target to have 3,168 MW of renewable energy capacity installed by 2021. The Government also aims to have a 5% share of renewable energy in electricity generation by the end of this year, which is planned to increase to 10% by 2021.
The main focus of the the 3 GW capacity addition will be solar and wind energy technologies. The Government plans to add 1,740 MW of solar power and 1,370 MW of wind energy capacity by 2021, with the remaining balance to be largely made up of biomass-based power generation technologies. Less than 10 MW each will be added through biogas and mini-hydro power projects.
The Bangladeshi Power Division has also published a timeline for renewable energy capacity addition with yearly targets. Of the total capacity addition envisaged, a third will be added through state-owned companies, while the balance will be installed by private sector companies.
Demand for power in Bangladesh is more than its current capacity to generate. As a result, it isimporting power from neighbouring India. The Bangladesh government is also in talks withBhutan to import hydro power. Thus, renewable energy seems a completely viable option to ease the demand-supply situation.
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Lower Austria Claims 100% Renewable Electricity
Nov 11, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Glenn Meyers
Lower Austria, the largest of Austria’s nine states, has announced it now generates 100% of its electricity from renewable sources.
Located on the Danube River, Europe’s second largest river, has considerably aided this claim, as some 63% of the region’s electricity generation comes from hydroelectric mechanisms that are located on the river.
Lower Austria’s electricity production is broken down into 63% hydroelectricity, 26% from wind energy, 9% from biomass, and 2% from solar.
“We have invested heavily to boost energy efficiency and to expand renewables,” said Erwin Proell, premier of the 1.65-million-strong Lower Austria region at a recent press conference. “Since 2002 we have invested 2.8 billion euros (US$3 billion) in eco-electricity, from solar parks to renewing (hydroelectric) stations on the Danube.”
The announcement was made prior to a gathering of world leaders for the decisive UN climate talks in Paris , scheduled for later this month. According to ScienceAlert, the announcement of Lower Austria’s achievement “is a beacon of hope amid other grim environmental news – and also a testament to how much the state has put into clean energy production.”
As for the remainder of Austria, 75% comes from renewables and the rest from fossil fuels. The nation voted against nuclear power in a 1978 referendum,
On the employment side of the energy scale, Lower Austria is laying claim to the creation of 38,000 “green jobs.” Proell has said, the state aims to increase to this total to 50,000 by 2030.
ScienceAlert states Austria leads the European Union in the percentage of electricity it generates from renewable sources. Immediately behind it are followed by Sweden, Portugal, Latvia, and Denmark. It added these other considerations:
“Sweden recently announced it was aiming to become the world’s first fossil-fuel-free nation, and Denmark has enjoyed success in generating and sharing surplus energy through its wind power network. Elsewhere in Europe, one of the world’s leaders in renewable energy production, Norway, announced recently it was banning cars from its capital’s city centre in an ambitious bid to reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent.”
Although small by scales, this is all tremendously encouraging news.
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California Desert Renewable Energy Document Released
Nov 10, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Carolyn Whetzel
California and federal officials released the final environmental document Nov. 10 for a plan to guide and streamline development of utility-scale renewable energy projects on 10 million acres of federal land in the California desert.
The environmental impact statement and a related proposed amendment to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's California Desert Conservation Area Plan are part of a broader, collaborative land-use planning effort to identify areas for renewable energy projects in a way that protects important natural and cultural resources and recreation areas.
“This is the right way to do planning,” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a media call announcing the availability of the documents that move forward completion of the first phase of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan.
Jewell Touts Scientific Tools
Jewell said the innovative and use planning effort that was launched over six years ago to advance federal and California clean energy and climate policies can serve as a model in other regions of the nation to reduce the conflicts that come with siting renewable energy facilities.
“We are learning now that with the scientific tools we have now, we can plan a lot smarter,” Jewell said.
The goal of the plan is to bring 20,000 megawatts of renewable energy online over the next 25 years, although not all of that will be built on federal land, according to the final environmental impact statement
When completed, the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan will be a blueprint for renewable energy and conservation projects on 22.5 million acres of both public and private land in seven counties.
The Interior Department and California Natural Resources Agency released the broader draft plan and environmental documents in 2014. Earlier this year, federal and state officials decided to focus first on completing the U.S. Bureau of Land Management elements of the plan to allow more to work with the affected counties on issues involving private lands and permitting processes (48 DEN A-14, 3/12/15).
33 Percent Goal for Renewables
California Natural Resources Secretary John Laird said the plan will help the state meet its goal of generating 33 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020 and the longer-term goal of 50 percent by 2030.
Changes to the first phase of the plan include new conservation areas, BLM Director Neil Kornze said.
The BLM plan designates 3.8 million acres of land as part of the National Landscape Conservation System to permanently protect from development. It includes 388,000 acres of federal land for the development of approved renewable energy project.
Kim Delfino, the Defenders of Wildlife's California program director, said there is much to celebrate about the effort to finding lower conflict sites for renewable energy development, but the group has concerns about the plan.
“While the plan provides strong protections for wildlife in the eastern part of the California desert, the fate of the West Mojave Desert and the critically imperiled desert tortoise and Mojave ground squirrel remain uncertain,” Delfino said in a written statement. “The BLM plan opens critical wildlife areas to development and reduces protections for the federally listed Mojave ground squirrel.”
The Interior Department has scheduled a webinar for Nov. 19 to discuss the plan and the changes in the final plan from the draft plan.
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