Environmental Career Center – Helping people work for a better environment since 1980

Forty years after the Beatles released the song Here Comes the Sun, the USA is putting the sun to work for us, “…and I say it’s all right”.  Solar Power is on the move with several important  announcements this week. 

The White House will now be a solar house … again.  Energy secretary Steven Chu and Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley announced that the White House will have solar panels installed early next year.  The panels will provide both hot water and electricity.  Nancy Sutley, Environmental Quality Chair, stated that the “federal government has to lead by example“. 

Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar announced  final approval to the Lucerne Valley and Imperial Valley Solar Projects in California.  The projects are deemed “smart from the start” by environmental groups and are the first ”large-scale”  public lands solar projects.  The Imperial Valley Solar Project is expected to produce 709 megawatts which can supply power to 212,700 – 531,750 homes with clean energy.  When completed, the Lucerne Valley Project is expected to produce 45 megawatts to power between 13,500 – 33,750 homes.  The projects will create 600 jobs during the construction phase and 100′s of permanent positions.

The Department of Interior announced the approval October 25th of the 1000 megawatt Blythe Solar Power Project.  It will be the largest solar energy project to be constructed on public lands.  Solar projects on publics lands, announced this month alone, will produce 2800 megawats of power for 2 million homes in California and the Southwest. 

How about this announcement as we transition from fossil fuel to clean energy in the USA?   Ohio Governor Ted Strickland’s office announced that a 49.9-megawatt solar farm, the Turning Point Solar project, will be built on the site of a former strip mine in Ohio.  Up to 600 jobs will be needed during the construction of the project.  The $250 million operation is expected to achieve full capacity in 2014.  Solar energy and green jobs are coming to Appalachia. 

Here Comes the Sun  “sun, sun, sun, here it comes”…