All Posts Tagged With: "San Luis Valley"
State PUC Approves Controversial Power Line in Southern Colorado
The nearly 150-mile, $180 million transmission project is designed to carry solar and wind energy from the San Luis Valley over La Veta Pass to the Front Range. The line would cross the sprawling Trinchera Ranch property owned by investor Louis Bacon, who has been strongly opposing it.
12Feb2011 | admin | 3 comments | Continued
Big Solar’s Promise
Remote centralized solar power plants are often promoted for the economic benefits they will bring to poor rural counties, like those in the San Luis Valley, Colorado. In Saguache County, Texas-based Tessera Solar’s 145 MW power plant is being sold as a $1.5 million/yr. windfall that will produce sorely needed jobs and revenue for the counties schools and communities.
3Jan2011 | admin | 1 comment | Continued
Lawsuit Challenges Desert Utility Scale Projects
A Native American cultural protection group filed suit earlier this week in United States District Court, challenging the Bureau of Land Management permitting processes related to six large solar facilities planned for the Mohave, Sonoran and Colorado deserts of Southern California.
29Dec2010 | admin | 1 comment | Continued
Hearing on Tessera Solar Project in San Luis Valley Continued
A crowd of more than 150 people gathered and then dispersed from the Saguache County courthouse as the public hearing on Colorado’s first industrial solar proposal dragged on for more than six hours. Much of the discussion centered around the methods of analysis used by Tessera and County noise consultants.
7Dec2010 | admin | 1 comment | Continued
State’s First Industrial Solar Project Meets Strong Opposition in San Luis Valley
Tessera Solar is proposing to build a 1,525-acre 145 Megawatt field of 5,670 dish Stirling SunCatchers on rangelands in southern Colorado’s high-elevation San Luis Valley for export to Front Range urban centers.
24Nov2010 | admin | 6 comments | Continued
Iberdrola Renewables in PPA Solar Deal Near Alamosa
Throught its Public Service Company of Colorado, Xcel Energy has agreed to purchase the entire output of a 30 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic project under development in the north end of Alamosa County. The deal signals Iberdrola’s expansion into the utility scale PV market.
15Oct2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
Special Report — Water Woes Dry Up Solar Projects
Throughout the southwest, water woes have slowed the pace of solar development. State resource agencies, local governments, environmental groups and local residents have all voiced opposition to the siting of any solar project in their states that comes with large water demands.
29Aug2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
Lack of Transmission Lines Cited in XCEL’s Request to Reduce Solar Projections
Colorado’s largest utility has requested permission from the State PUC to reduce by nearly half the solar generation targets it agreed to under Xcel’s 2007 Colorado Resource Plan. The main reason, they say, is the lack of progress on new tranmission lines in the area.
7Jun2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
Large Scale Solar vs. Point-of-Use DG –
The Debate Heats Up in the San Luis Valley
Residents support solar, but are wary of centralized, large-scale photovoltaic arrays in the rural valley. Small-scale solar projects near existing sub-stations make more sense, say supporters.They advocate phased-in local, point-of-use renewable energy generation.
25May2010 | admin | 1 comment | Continued
Western Slope Updates –
San Luis Valley — Transmission Line Dispute
Garfield County — Energy Improvements District Idea
Snowmass Village — Town Council Mulls Solar Farm
Pitkin County — Energy Smart Loan Program Nears
Group Says Deal Pending in Refuge Drilling Lawsuit
Christine Canaly of the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council says that Toronto-based Lexam Explorations will consider selling its mineral rights in the Baca National Wildlife Refuge where it wanted to drill natural gas — provided a $9.7 million deal can be reached by May 17.
21Jan2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
Transmission Talks Heat Up in Southern Colorado
The arguments between the utility companies proposing the line and their opponents have mushroomed as the state and federal government carry out separate reviews. Xcel Energy and Tri-State say the line is necessary to export wind and solar power to the Front Range.
17Jan2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
State Solar Tracks —
Noteworthy Installs But a Big One is Dropped
While the CSU installation in Fort Collins and newly commissioned PV system for Alamosa High School were celebrated, news of First Solar dropping its 150 Mw utility-scale project in the San Luis Valley cast doubt in some quarters on the viability of such developments.
23Dec2009 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
We need to promote export terminals to liquify and ship natural gas to markets in Asia and Euroupe. The US ...
Natural Gas can be consumed so efficiently that the WATER can even be recovered from the combusted exhaust gases.
Going ...
Lack of funding is a serious obstacle for implementation of audit recommendations. Even small rebates will have little impact ...
Re: Natural gas generation wasn’t included in the final analysis but is generally assumed to emit about half as much ...
Disclosure MIGHT prevent pollution if there was a watchdog agency that ruled yes or no on particular chemicals before they ...
Having just read Tom Gray's article 'Fred Udo's bogus numbers' I get the feeling I haven't understood whats going on. ...
I agree with you kirsch. I knew this article had the stench of industry money as soon add I read ...
Can someone explain how disclosure prevents pollution? They can still release air toxins and they are still not held ...