systems

It’s been a while since we’ve had this much buzz about something that has nothing to do with Donald Trump: Dozens of readers wrote letters to the editor expressing concern about the construction of a solar power project in the Mojave Desert. Melody Petersen of The Times – that would require the destruction of 3,500 Joshua trees.

This is understandable. Joshua trees mark the desert southwest in a way that perhaps only the saguaro can match. Plants that exist in a certain elevation window of the Mojave Desert—a window that is closing due to climate change—serve as a sort of unmistakable natural boundary between metropolitan Los Angeles and the high desert. Who doesn’t notice the first Joshua tree they see on the way out of LA at Cajon Pass or on Highway 14?

But we’ve come far enough on climate change that we now have to consider trade-offs, and this is one of them. Humanity needs to reduce carbon emissions, solar power is helping us get there, and there are few better places to generate solar power than the sun-drenched Mojave Desert. Readers pleading for the survival of Joshua trees increasingly suggest alternatives such as urban rooftop solar and conservation.

This is not the first environmental trade-off in the fight against climate change. I hope the Joshua tree doesn’t end up alongside the grizzly bear, the symbol of a decimated California.

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To the Editor: The photo of a 150-200 year old Joshua tree with your article on the Aratina Solar Project made my throat catch.

Why aren’t the 180,000 homes that will receive power in coastal neighborhoods getting solar on their roofs? I have solar on my roof and it doesn’t detract from the beauty of my house. Why are endangered Joshua trees and endangered desert tortoises sacrificed so far away for homes?

The well-being of citizens in Bor and neighboring small towns will also be sacrificed for the benefit of wealthy neighborhoods. Why is the detection of poisonous fungi in the soil ignored?

This is not “saving the planet”. I believe in expanding renewable energy sources, but the quick fix – bulldozing and clearing a large tract of land for households – is lazy and thoughtless.

Rooftop solar is the answer.

Starflower Thomson, Joshua Tree, California.

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To the Editor: Most environmentalists in the desert Southwest knew from the start that this “save the planet” ethic would only go as far as NIMBYISM and corporate greed would allow it.

An environmentalist horrified by deforestation in the Northeast would be less impressed by the massive destruction of cactus habitat in the California desert.

An environmentally concerned resident of grizzly bear country isn’t going to be apoplectic about eliminating rattlesnake or turtle habitats in Arizona.

Most Americans view the desert as a wasteland. Do you think they built and tested nuclear weapons in New Mexico?

It is immoral to destroy Joshua trees to serve the greater good. It is a failure to recognize that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is not protecting the public and that we have too many developed (and therefore destroyed) residential properties in urban areas that are not primarily used for energy production.

We need to promote rooftop solar so that homeowners and others can afford the cost of installing solar. Why exactly does the CPUC exist?

Denis Arcurius, Indian

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To the editor: Joshua trees, indeed most trees, are worth saving. Desert animals too.

But let’s be clear: if we hope to slow and eventually stop global warming, we must stop burning fossil fuels and switch to clean, renewable energy generated by wind, water and the sun.

Building solar farms wherever possible is not about killing trees or desert creatures, it’s about saving people. The planet will survive global warming; will not be human.

Fortunately, scientists at Stanford University have created renewable energy roadmaps for all 50 states and, to date, more than 150 other countries. It’s time to embrace clean energy infrastructure, not oppose it.

Court Casady, Palos Verdes Peninsula

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To the editor: I don’t think destroying natural habitats to provide people with electricity is a good trade-off. Conservation may be another way forward.

Joshua trees and desert dwellers (including humans) have a right to exist. Plus, over time, we humans (8 billion people) can miss out on what else our lovely planet has to offer.

John Muir had much to say about the importance of the wilderness to the human spirit. For example:

“We have fought and are still fighting because forests are part of the eternal conflict between right and wrong, and we cannot wait to see the end of it. … So we must trust to watch these trees and strive for them, and always be glad to find something good and noble.”

Erica Hahn, Monrovia

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To the Editor: When you drive around Scotland and Germany, two of the sunniest places on the planet, it’s almost shocking to see the ubiquity of rooftop solar installations. How is this possible?

They take climate mitigation personally. California obviously isn’t.

Here in sunny California, where thousands of acres of rooftops are waiting to be turned to the sun, private capital has the right to destroy a pristine wilderness with only endangered plants and animals and powerless poor people as neighbors.

A private equity developer is going to build this massive solar facility to serve the rich coastal areas, and we’re letting it happen? What is the business of this state?

Until the solar potential of every rooftop is exhausted, no more massive solar projects should be built where energy is needed.

Sarah R. Nichols, Los Angeles

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To the editor: As the late Huell Howser explained years ago, it’s not just the Joshua tree that’s endangered, but the habitat it provides for desert-dwelling reptiles, insects, birds and small mammals.

Is it impossible to find another location for the proposed solar plant? We need clean energy, but Joshua trees take many years to grow and reproduce.

If there were only a few trees, this might be acceptable – but the destruction of thousands seems like a crime.

Kathleen Trinity, Acton

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To the editor: Members of the Kern County Board of Supervisors should be ashamed of themselves and vote out of office to approve a for-profit project that would destroy old-growth Joshua trees and protected wildlife habitat.

Who is the private equity firm building the factory to claim that its benefits outweigh this terrible affront to our natural resources? The fact that he plans to cut trees in the area to avoid visibility and backlash proves the nefarious nature of this project.

This type of development should not be part of California’s clean energy path and the project should be stopped immediately.

Peter Fennema, West Los Angeles

Lower Merion Township Receives $250,000 Grant Award for Rooftop Solar on Main Line of Ludington Library

(Credit: Bill Mead/Unsplash)

Going solar remains unaffordable and technically impossible for many in Pennsylvania.

That’s why one Erie County legislator said he’s reintroducing the legislation to close a loophole for renters and homeowners who can’t afford to invest in their own roof panels.

Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, sponsored a plan Thursday that would establish subscription programs that would guarantee residents get 100% solar power from a local source instead of the traditional grid mix.

“This bill will allow those who truly believe in renewable energy but live in circumstances that are not conducive to generating it, to put their money into supporting their dream of a cleaner grid,” he said.

While residents can shop for renewable energy plans on Pennsylvania’s retail electricity market, most of that generation comes from projects in Tennessee or Kentucky.

A spokeswoman for Laughlin’s office said many of the plans sold on the market aren’t really “green.” That’s because project developers often sell solar renewable energy credits to fossil fuel suppliers, who then use the credits to prove that some of the energy supplied to customers comes from renewable sources.

Credits range from $3.50 to $370 per megawatt hour produced, depending on each state’s market value. In October 2022, Pennsylvania loans were worth between $40 and $42.

However, Laughlin’s plan requires local sources to keep their credits so that the generation meets the state’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard, thereby guaranteeing it is “green.”

The proposal comes amid the senator’s strong opposition to plans to install wind turbines on Lake Erie. The The House completed the event in Aprilwill allow land leases in the central and western regions of the lake.

While supporters say the development plans prevent environmental and economic disruption, critics disagree.

“If this bill is being proposed to protect the environment, it is anything but,” he said.

He said the negotiations left out property owners, fishermen and the charter captains he represents who “want to preserve a peaceful way of life.” All of them were concerned that wind turbines would not only disrupt the landscape along the shoreline, but also risk pollution from oil spills and stir up toxic sediments along the lake bed.

Laughlin did not comment on the bill at the time, but announced Thursday that he did not support it.

Bryan Hannegan, president and CEO of Holy Cross Energy, said the 5-megawatt solar array in Woody Creek is an excellent location for battery storage. The 35-hectare facility was completed in 2021, ahead of Holy Cross priority maintenance. This view was taken during a day trip by EcoFlight.

Courtesy photo

The Western Slope energy cooperative says they are on track to hit 90% renewable energy by the end of 2025 due to strides in wind and solar generation. With building codes favoring solar power and electrification, the power grid will increasingly experience excess energy during peak production periods when demand is not as great. In the morning and evening, when the demand of customers is more, the production of solar energy is lower.

“We’re going to have more of a good thing than we know,” said Bryan Hannegan, president and CEO of Holy Cross Energy. “Part of the challenge is how do we get people to start thinking about either not producing (energy) or storing that energy for later so that it can be used at a time when we would otherwise have to go out of our area. sourcing energy from another location, which may come at a higher cost or carbon footprint.

The key to avoiding the drag of energy with its carbon footprint is to ensure the flexibility and storage of renewable energy, which will help eliminate the remaining percentage points in the race for carbon-based energy to be 100% renewable.

Holy Cross is a nonprofit energy cooperative founded in 1939 by farmers and ranchers on the Western Slope. The organization provides energy to more than 46,000 members on the West Slope.

In 2020, Holy Cross set a goal of achieving 100% carbon-free energy supply by 2030 and achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 while maintaining service reliability and affordability.

Hannegan told the Pitkin Board of County Commissioners at a work session Tuesday that they are ahead of the curve with that goal.

Holy Cross has stated that in 2023, 50% of their energy supply will come from wind, solar, biomass, hydroelectricity and coal mine methane production. As of early 2024, estimates show that 75% of their energy will come from renewable sources, mostly from the eastern Colorado wind farm.

Located in Kit Carson County, the Bronco Plains II Energy Center sells 150 megawatts of power to Holy Cross in the winter and 100 megawatts in the summer. The power purchase agreement went online at the end of 2023, and Holy Cross credits the wind farm for moving from 50% renewables to 75%.

Holy Cross expects more power from Bronco Plains by the end of 2025, said Jenna Weatherred, member and vice president of community relations for Holy Cross.

They said that by the end of 2025, 65% of the energy supply will be provided by wind and 13% by the sun. Coal and natural gas are expected to account for 7% and 3%, respectively.

Holy Cross offers a program to reduce the cost of on-site battery energy storage, Power+. Even with the calculation structure to pay back the cost of the Tesla Powerwall 2 battery energy storage system over 10 years at 0% interest through Holy Cross promissory notes, customers can pay up to $44,000 over the payback period – even with federal and state incentives.

Weatherred said that while he applauds efforts by states to promote solar energy in their building codes, grid or on-site solar energy storage is just as important.

“For 20 years we’ve been saying the sun is big,” he said. “These are still true, but there are times when we have too much memory in the system.”

As Holy Cross pursues efficiency and the “100×30” goal, they are approaching a business model that has changed from an energy provider to a service provider.

“Our biggest concern, frankly, is that we may not actually have enough demand growth to sustain our current business model based on kilowatt-hour sales,” Hannegan said. “For sustainability, for grid flexibility, we might want to actively encourage people not to buy electricity from us. Which in the business of selling electronics, like electric utility — at least right now — is an unnatural move.”

In a future where customers generate enough electricity, Hannegan and Weatherred said the co-op will switch to an energy mobility facilitator. Hannegan likens this potential future role to the “Fed-Ex” of electricity, moving energy between customers — because everyone will eventually have to call for more electricity than they produce, he said.

Weatherred said the change would focus the fee structure more on delivery costs. Holy Cross’ current energy rate for small residential customers is 11 cents per kilowatt hour. The co-op increased fixed rates for customers and saw the biggest increase in small residential areas.

Still, as the Roaring Fork Valley and the rest of Holy Cross’ service area move toward electrification, Commissioner Steve Child noted that the demand for Holy Cross services will only increase.

“We’re getting closer to 100% renewable energy, well, we’re moving the doorposts. As buildings become electrified, as cars become electrified and transportation systems … there will be more than our current demand,” Child said. “We’re going to need more renewable generation and we’re going to need more storage space.”

Holy Cross will hold its annual meeting on Thursday, June 6 at 5:00 p.m. at 4 Eagle Ranch in Wolcott, where the results of the current board of directors election for the North District seat will be announced.

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