Page 611 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

tHE sCIENCE bEHINd tHE stoRy

What Are the development may have. If impacts are
Impacts of solar and judged to be severe enough, then gov-
ernment agencies can insist that plans
Wind development? be amended.
For instance, the California Energy
Commission asked for limits on the
Renewable energy sources and tech- proposed Calico Solar Project in south-
nologies alleviate many of the negative ern California in 2010, after biologists
impacts of fossil fuel combustion, and concluded that the project would dam-
may one day sustainably fulfill our energy age habitat of the desert tortoise and
needs. However, this does not mean Local residents demonstrate for and bighorn sheep. The company agreed
that renewable energy is a panacea free against the proposed Cape Wind farm. to reduce the size of its footprint by
of costs. As our society decides how to nearly half, reducing estimated impacts
pursue energy sources such as solar and the facilities. Solar power plants also to wildlife by 80%, and the Commission
wind power, we will need to consider require water for cooling and cleaning, approved the project.
their impacts as well as their benefits. and water is scarce in the arid regions In central California, a solar project
This has become clear in recent hosting most of these facilities. All these underwent 18 months of environmental
years as the Cape Wind project in impacts will have consequences for analysis and was approved after the
Massachusetts and a number of large plants, animals, and ecosystems. Solargen company agreed to purchase
solar projects in California have brought Large-scale projects need govern- and set aside 23,000 acres of preserved
to the fore a host of issues that some ment approval and are subject to the land as “mitigation” for the 3200 acres it
clean-energy proponents had not environmental impact statement pro- was developing. A third California solar
considered. Scientific study of these cess (pp. 192–193). As a result, teams project, the Topaz Solar Farm, was
impacts is just getting underway, and of researchers study conditions at each scaled back in size after researchers
will be important as energy develop- site to determine what impacts energy found that scaling back was needed
ment proceeds.
The several dozen solar power
installations currently under review for
the Mojave Desert and other arid regions
of California would, if constructed,
cover many thousands of acres of land
(Figure 1).
Desert environments are particu-
larly sensitive, so researchers say we
should expect substantial impacts.
Besides altering the pristine appearance
of an undeveloped landscape, arrays
of thousands of mirrors or panels affect
communities of plants and animals by
casting shade and altering microclimate.
Altered conditions tend to hurt native
desert-adapted species while helping Figure 1 Solar power farms require large areas of land and exert substantial
invasive weeds. At existing solar facili- environmental impacts. Still, researchers estimate that impacts are less than those
ties, the sites are graded and sprayed demanded by fossil fuels; burning coal for energy uses at least as much land, once one
with herbicide, eliminating plants includes the strip mining needed to obtain the coal. This solar plant in Kramer Junction,
and damaging fragile soils. Human California, is one of nine that spread across more than 650 ha (1600 acres) of the Mojave
presence increases as workers maintain Desert, providing power for over 230,000 homes.

Location, timing, and cost can in cities such as Seattle or Anchorage might find it difficult
be drawbacks to harness enough sunlight most of the year to rely on solar
power. (However, observe in Figure 21.11 that Germany
Solar energy currently has three major disadvantages. One is receives even less sun than Alaska, and yet it is the world
610 that not all regions are equally sunny (Figure 21.11). People leader in solar power!)

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