| It's supposed to be 110 degrees today in Fresno, | | | | tracked, face a time crunch. To qualify for federal |
| where I sit in an air-conditioned office writing this | | | | stimulus funds, they have to be under |
| blog about an even hotter portion of California - a | | | | construction by year's end. |
| region that could possibly become Solar Central. | | | | There also are environmental concerns with |
| Could the desert regions of San Bernardino, Los | | | | projects this big, including the existence of |
| Angeles, Imperial and Riverside counties become | | | | endangered species. In this case, the solar |
| the world's largest solar resource? If approved, | | | | operators will have to relocate native desert |
| large-scale solar projects proposed for the | | | | tortoises. |
| isolated federal land will cover nearly 20,000 acres | | | | Could this serve as a model for the central San |
| and, according to the New York Times, generate | | | | Joaquin Valley? As more farmland goes out of |
| enough power for 1.6 million houses. | | | | production, solar companies are talking about |
| The projects would triple the amount of solar | | | | moving in. The land is laser flat, close to |
| energy produced in the United States, but issues | | | | transmission lines and, as this story says, isn't |
| remain. The nine projects, though being fast | | | | home to endangered wildlife. |