There will not be any environmental and economic destruction from the Palen project in Riverside County. It is as dead as the wildlife it would have otherwise killed.
12/16/15 – Chris Clarke at ReWire – Weird Twist for Riverside County Solar Project – The Palen Solar Power Project has been sold by its near bankrupt owner to the fifth owner. A bankruptcy court has approved the transfer from Abengoa Solar to Maverick Solar LLC (sub of EDF Renewable Energy).
Article provides background on the history of the Palen project. Highlights:
- 2010 – Approved as 500mW parabolic trough design.
- 2012 – Will be redesigned by second owner as two 750 tall concentrating solar power tower project.
- 2014 – Devastation caused on bird population at Ivanpah leads federal researchers to conclude the damage to birds will be twice as bad with Palen that already seen at Ivanpah. Project redesigned as only one tower.
- 2015 – Redesigned back to parabolic trough technology. Abengoa announces bankruptcy.
2/11/16 – Chris Clarke at ReWire – End of the Line for the Palen Solar Project – Finally.
The newest owner, Maverick Solar, filed an application to convert the Palen project from parabolic trough technology to photovoltaic. Big mistake. The project had been licensed by the state Energy Commission, which only has authority over projects that use heat to generate electricity. They have no authority over wind, hydroelectric, or photovoltaic.
On February 10, the Energy Commission declared the permit expired. That means if Maverick Solar wants to do anything, they have to start from the very beginning. All environmental reviews and every one of the permits must be obtained fresh.