9th Commercial Solar Project on Public Lands Approved
On December 20, the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) approved the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project in Nevada.
The 110 MW concentrating solar tower plant - to be sited on 2,250 acres of public land - will produce electricity for 75,000 Nevada households. The project, proposed by SolarReserve's Tonopah Solar Energy, LLC of Santa Monica, California, will generate about 450-500 solar jobs.
To site the project, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) worked closely with state, federal, and military agencies, including the EPA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Nevada Department of Wildlife, and the U.S. Air Force, as well as members of the environmental and conservation communities. The project size was cut from 7680 acres to minimize impacts on plants and wildlife. See the DOI press release.
Final Permits Granted for Cape Wind Project
The U.S. EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have issued permits for the Cape Wind Project, completing the federal permitting phase for the 130-turbine offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts.
Various federal, state, and local agencies participated in the environmental review. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE)-an arm of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the lead federal agency in the environmental review-issued its record of decision in April 2010 favoring the project. And in November, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities approved a 15-year power purchase agreement with National Grid to buy 50% of Cape Wind's energy and renewable energy credits. See the Army Corps press release , the Corps record of decision , and Cape Wind press releases on the EPA and National Grid.
On December 28, BOEMRE and Massachusetts announced a request for interest (RFI) to determine the level of interest in further offshore wind development. The 2,224 square mile area is 12 nautical miles (nm) south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket and extends 31 nm seaward. There are 321 whole lease blocks and 163 partial blocks on the Outer Continental Shelf.
Granting of the permit is the initial step under DOI's "Smart from the Start" renewable energy initiative announced in November. The goal is to have BOEMRE identify priority "wind energy areas" for potential development. Public comment is due February 28, 2011. See the BOEMRE press release, the RFI in the Federal Register, and coverage of the DOI's "Smart from the Start" in EERE Network News.
$74 Million for Fuel Cell Research and Development
DOE is accepting applications for up to $74 million to support research and development (R&D) of fuel cells for stationary applications such as buildings and transportation.
