Daily solar-powered generation began declining as large wildfires broke out in mid-August, reaching a low of 68 GWh on August 22 before returning to approximately 100 GWh by the end of the month. Solar-powered generation began declining again as wildfire activity rose in September, falling as low as 50 GWh on September 11 as PM2.5 smoke pollution increased.

General California

Renewable energy corporations have launched an eleventh-hour campaign to derail a petition seeking endangered species protection for Joshua trees, saying it could hinder development of the solar and wind power projects California needs to wean itself off fossil fuels. ...The state Fish and Game Commission on Aug. 20 is expected to vote on whether to accept the petition, which was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity. Approval has been recommended by state biologists.

General California

A couple of weeks ago I suggested that a proposed wind energy project was meeting stiff headwinds. In a Lompoc City Council hearing on June 3, one aspect of the proposed Strauss Wind was they were offering a Community Benefit Agreement that could provide $150,000 to the city’s general fund at the completion of the project if the city approved an oversized load permit.

General California

Project applicants offered a $150,000 'gift,' but City Council wants at least $1 million commitment

General California

Although Lompoc is not slated to benefit from the power generated by a wind energy project being planned just south of the city, the venture could provide a boost to the city’s general fund. The Lompoc City Council this month directed staff to prepare a Community Benefits Agreement that the city will look to enter into with Strauss Wind, LLC, the developer behind the 100-megawatt Strauss Wind Energy project that is planned for the ridgetops near the end of San Miguelito Road. The pact is likely to include a substantial payment to the city, if certain conditions are met.

General California

A proposed wind energy project, darling of those who wish to “save the environment,” south of Lompoc has been contentious since it was first proposed almost a decade ago. While this project proposes to produce 100 megawatts of energy, none of it will be used by the city of Lompoc.

General California

Decision bypasses Campo’s tribal regulations and land use planning protections: Legal challenges are in the works

General USA California

After hours of public comment and debate on Tuesday, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors denied an appeal calling to turn down a wind farm proposal in Lompoc. The Strauss wind energy project is now officially ready to break ground in February.

General California

After an emotional, hours-long dialogue, the supervisors stopped short of approving the company’s proposal in a 2-3 decision, before voting again to officially deny the project. In the initial vote, supervisors Virginia Bass and Rex Bohn voted to move the project forward. In the 4-1 final vote, Bass switched sides to join the majority.

General California

The Terra-Gen wind energy project received a denial from the Humboldt County Planning Commission on Thursday, concluding an emotional series of meetings in which the commission appeared to be veering toward approval before swinging the other way.

General California

The state Water Resources Control Board has raised objections to the controversial Terra-Gen wind energy project, saying its intended use of water could lead to the discharge of hazardous chemicals.

General California

Strauss Wind Energy proposes up to 30 towers on nearly 3,000 acres south of the city

General California

Federal judges today dismissed a challenge to a large wind farm near San Diego, rejecting claims that agencies did not adequately weigh potential impacts on bald eagles and other birds. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Land Management conducted the legally required “hard look” at alternatives before approving the Tule Wind LLC project.

General California

Board Chairman and 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino asked what the scale of such a solar project might be to power the approximately 150,000 households in the county. An Optony spokesman said a 1-acre solar array could power 60 to 100 homes, so it would require a total of 1,500 acres of solar panels scattered throughout the county to power all the county’s homes.

General California

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. -- The Bureau of Land Management is in the beginning stages of a year-long process to analyze a Canadian-owned company's proposal to build dozens of turbines in the Walker Ridge area, where another wind farm had been proposed a decade ago.

General California

How dispiriting to read that officials at Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA) have fallen hook, line and turbine for a deeply flawed energy proposal. Like many outside colonizers since 1850, a Manhattan energy company, Terra-Gen, is relying on local officials to support its plan to place up to 60 wind turbines, each standing 600 feet tall, on Monument and Bear River ridges. The RCEA's Michael Winkler, in a June 27 op-ed in the Journal ("Why I Support Terra-Gen's Wind Project"), epitomized this colonial mindset.

General California

The developer is seeking a right-of-way that would permit 42 wind turbines to be constructed on 2,270 acres of public land in the two counties. The area is described as “along Walker Ridge, within the Indian Valley Management Area in Northern California.” Among the other planned structures are a substation plus a collection line and tie-in to an existing Pacific Gas and Electric transmission line. Walker Ridge Road will also be widened.

General California

The Strauss Wind Energy Project — put forward by BayWa, a German agricultural and renewable energy company — calls for the construction of 30 turbine generators 500 feet tall across 2,790 acres of rural land in an unincorporated area of Santa Barbara County. ...More than 600 mature oak trees would be chopped down to make room for the infrastructure and to build the roads needed to transport three 35,000-pound blades to each turbine location.

General California

With the deadline to comment on the draft environmental impact report fast approaching, debate over a proposed wind farm on a ridgeline to the south of the Eel River Valley is heating up.

General California

A giant wind farm proposed for more than 35,000 acres in eastern Shasta County will be the topic of a public meeting Thursday in Montgomery Creek.

General California