Ban oil and gas drilling in the San Luis Valley

Hi,

I signed a petition to San Luis Valley County Commissioners Association which says:

"The San Luis Valley in Colorado is a culturally rich, agriculturally based community that supplies much of the state and nation with potatoes, wheat, barley and mushrooms. Water is the Valley's most valuable natural resource. The Valley is also a destination for tourists, hunters and film makers. Oil and gas development is a direct threat to the Valley's water, air, quality of life and livelihood. We insist on a permanent ban on any oil and gas drilling in and around the San Luis Valley.


Will you sign this petition? Click here:

http://signon.org/sign/ban-oil-and-gas-drilling?source=s.icn.em.cp&r_by=1379800

Thanks!

Community Power - Not Towers!

Community Power, Not Towers!

Scenic Beauty of Colorado’s San Luis Valley threatened. 

Public comments due Thursday January 26^th  - Hearing Feb 2

Solar Reserve Project - Crescent Dunes, California

  Colorado’s San Luis Valley is facing a proposal for two 656-foot concentrated solar power towers near Great Sand Dunes National Park.  The towers would produce approximately 200 Megawatts of power to be exported to the rest of Colorado.  The project is nearing final review for a permit in front of the Saguache County Commissioners.  It would be expensive, ugly, and unnecessary.  It would kill Sandhill Cranes and Bald Eagles, and raise power prices throughout the state.

            

     When an independent review of the sound impacts of Tessera Solar’s 2009 proposal was made, the results were dramatically different from the company’s comforting claims.

     Public comments are due by 3PM – Thursday January 26, 2012 – email to wmaez@saguachecounty.net 

A public hearing will be held 2-8 PM - Thursday Feb. 2, 2012 at Center School Auditorium – 550 Sylvester Ave, Center CO  81125 – please RSVP to info@saveslv.org if you are coming.

Tell the Saguache County Commissioners:

Follow the BLM’s lead and allow no power towers in the San Luis Valley.

Make any final approval contingent on an independent study on visual impacts.

Make any final approval contingent on observation of an operational Crescent Dunes project to validate Solar Reserve’s claims.

The Solar Reserve project would raise power prices throughout Colorado through a loophole that exempts “experimental” projects from the 2% rate cap.  This would mean the price tag of over $1 billion would be tacked on to everyone’s electric bills!  Solar Reserve tells me their technology is “proven” – they really shouldn’t be able to have it both ways.  Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) projects are far more expensive than ordinary solar PV.  Many CSP projects recently proposed for the Mojave have been converted to PV or abandoned.  Solar Reserve’s project has been constructed with a $773 million DOE loan guarantee from the same program as Solyndra’s.

            The towers would be located in the center of the San Luis Valley west of Great Sand Dunes National Park, and would impact the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, and the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area.  The towers would be almost as high as the dunes themselves.  Such a project would be more than just an eyesore, a desecration of monumental proportions – it appalls me that it is even being considered in such a scenic area.  Solar Reserve cannot mitigate the visual impact and thus the project should be moved outside the valley where transmission is available, perhaps at the site in Pueblo County where a nuclear plant was rejected.

            In August 2011 the Journal of Solar Energy Engineering published a paper titled “Methodology to Assess Potential Glint and Glare Hazards From Concentrating Solar Power Plants:  Analytical Models and Experimental Validation.”  The paper models a solar tower half the size of Solar Reserve, and concludes “this irradiance will not cause irreversible eye damage, but it is sufficient to produce a temporary after image if one looks directly at the source”.  The safe distance for the smaller  was calculated to be 1840 meters – larger than the radius of Solar Reserve’s proposed mirror field.  Scaling up to Solar Reserve’s size would give a “safe” distance of about two miles, and a mirage that magnified the size of the bright spot tenfold would increase that to over 6 miles.

            Even if the brightness of the towers was not sufficient to cause temporary spot blindness, it would still be distracting enough to mar the valley’s vistas throughout the entire valley every moment that the sun shines for at least the next 50 years.

                 

Morro Bay, California is the site of a spectacular 576-foot volcanic plug.  In the 1950s Dynergy built a gas-fired power plant with 450-foot stacks.  Anyone who visits the town can’t help but notice.  Now, over 50 years since the stacks were built, a lengthy process is underway to figure out how to dismantle them.  Did the power plant lead to economic growth?  In 2000, per capita income in Morro Bay was $21,687.  In Pismo Beach just to the south income was 42% higher, and in Cambria, the neighboring town to the north, it was 36% higher.  It’s hard to say if the eyesore stunted Morro Bay’s tourist economy, though – power plants are typically built in lower income areas.

The project would kill birds through mirror collisions - no mitigation could prevent this.  (Don’t believe those guys that say the light cone would fry the cranes and eagles of the valley.  The birds would actually be vaporized.)  There would be a risk of fire and explosions, though not of nuclear scale. 

Smart grid, battery storage, and demand response can better provide resilient and reliable power to the San Luis Valley for much less money.  Solar Reserve cannot store energy produced from other sources, and would saturate the grid, making a distributed energy network impossible.

Again:

Public comments are due by 3PM – Thursday January 26, 2012 – email to wmaez@saguachecounty.net 

A public hearing will be held 2-8 PM - Thursday Feb. 2 ,2012 at Center School Auditorium – 550 Sylvester Ave, Center CO  81125

Tell the Saguache County Commissioners:

Follow the BLM’s lead and allow no power towers in the San Luis Valley.

Make any final approval contingent on an independent study on visual impacts.

Make any final approval contingent on observation of an operational Crescent Dunes project to validate Solar Reserve’s claims.

Colorado Public Radio reports on SLV solar - Take Action!

Megan Verlee of Colorado Public Radio reports on the San Luis Valley:

"The San Luis Valley is one of Colorado’s best areas for solar power - lots of sun and clear atmosphere. That’s what a state report found 4 years ago.  Now those trying to develop that resource are learning the valley has a distinct downside - a lot of residents simply don’t want big solar projects there."

Listen/Read the full story at: http://www.cpr.org/#load_article|SLV_Residents_Fighting_Solar_Projects

THANK Colorado Public Radio for covering the story at 800-722-4449 - let them know this is very important to residents and all who love the SLV.

SUGGEST that CPR do a follow-up story, covering alternatives to large scale projects at http://www.cpr.org/#load_article|Contact

Megan interviewed State Senator Gail Schwartz, who made the following comment:

SCHWARTZ: "We all are making some sacrifices to live in a 21st century society.  All of our resources are being challenged and tapped to develop energy.  And we also have to look at private property rights."

CONTACT State Senator Schwartz and let her know this (or use your own words):

"Regarding your quote on Colorado Public Radio:  the treasured San Luis Valley must not be sacrificed.  The private property rights of neighbors whose families have ranched the land over 100 years are more important than the property rights of big corporations.  Remember, you won in a very tight election, and would not have been elected were it not for support of Valley residents.  Please help us develop an alternative plan that will spread solar development and create jobs all over Colorado."

Office Location: 200 E. Colfax
Denver, CO 80203
Capitol Phone: 303-866-4871
E-mail: gail.schwartz.senate@state.co.us

The December 6 hearing sponsored by the Saguache County Commissioners has been continued to a date not yet scheduled.  The public comment period has been re-opened- comments can be sent to Wendi Maez from http://www.saguachecounty.net/depts/landuse/ ... ask that a quieter alternative technology AND an alternative site be used. 

At this site is also the independent noise report from Maestre Graves Associates, which includes the following statement, and much more:

I believe that the noise levels presented by HDR Engineering for the proposed project are understated and that the noise levels will exceed the County guidelines and State standards. 

Thanks for all you do!

Joy

Tessera - Big Solar Company Embracing Distributed Generation?

Tessera Solar is planning to enter the market for smaller projects by licensing concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology from Boeing, which offers significant promise.  Given XCEL's proposal to amend its resource plan, scaling back solar purchases in the San Luis Valley to 30 Megawatts, a plan smaller than Tessera's current 145 Megawatt proposal would seem more viable at this time.

Current proposals by Tessera use the Suncatcher (TM) technology, which has met criticism due to many moving parts requiring maintenance and producing noise.  Most of these projects face cancellation or delay due to finance or environmental issues.  San Luis Valley citizens plan to turn out for a public hearing in Saguache, Colorado on Monday, December 6 to express their opinions about the project.

TESSERA SOLAR - 1,625 acre Stirling Engine Project 

PUBLIC HEARING

DEC. 6, 2010 - Monday
2-4 PM: Tessera and Nancy Lauro presentation/Q&A
4-7 PM: PUBLIC HEARING
7 PM: COMMISSIONER MEETING

501 4th Street - Saguache County Courthouse (at Cristy) 
Saguache, Colorado


In Arizona, a 250-Megawatt Tessera proposal couldn't find buyer for its electricity, as utilities have focused on distributed projects. Said Peter Wilt, Tessera’s senior director of development. "Quite frankly we’re not getting a lot of traction in the market. The market is starting to coalesce around the smaller projects.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/mobile/phoenix/morning_call/2010/09/plug_pulled_on_solar_plant.html

In order to enter this new market, Tessera's sister company, Stirling Energy Systems, has announced a partnership with Boeing to market a highly efficient CPV technology. These solar trackers have very low water use and do not produce significant noise.

http://www.solardaily.com/reports/Boeing_Licenses_XR700_Solar_Power_Technology_To_Stirling_Energy_Systems_999.html

This technology might be useful for smaller or mid scale projects such as Solar Gardens, and wholesale distributed plants similar to the SunEdison facility. Community Ownership and finance would be possible, using organizations such as non-profits and co-ops. Such projects would be much less likely to meet opposition, more likely to obtain power purchase agreements, and would go a long way towards solving the solar conflict in the San Luis Valley.

Tessera's projects could conceivably become part of a comprehensive distributed energy plan such as the Virtual Power Plant composed of 150 Megawatts of combined energy projects we proposed to the Saguache county commissioners on November 12.

Tribes join protests of Ivanpah solar project - Las Vegas Review / Journal

 

IVANPAH VALLEY, Calif.-- They trudged through soft sand and used walking sticks for balance as they ascended a ridge crowned with black boulders and triangular-shaped piles of rust-colored rocks.
Phillip Smith, a Chemehuevi who's an elder in the Colorado River Indian Tribe, and the Rev. Ron Van Fleet of the Fort Mohave Indian Tribe, call this a sacred place. Their ancestors have come to these "altars" for centuries to worship the divine and admire the Mojave Desert.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/tribes-join-protests-of-ivanpah-solar-project-102926439.html

The Fate of the Valley

     Throughout the desert west, millions of acres are slated to go under big solar projects, while millions of rooftops sit empty.   The San Luis Valley is facing an enormous project near Center called SolarReserve, which would involve 3,000 acres of mirrors and two 656-foot towers with the Sun focused on the top – directly west of the Great Sand Dunes and near Center.  If we do not stop this and the Tessera Solar project, there will be more, and more, and more.

     Tessera Solar’s Marfa, Texas plant has been unable to obtain financing and was cancelled, possibly due to reliability concerns. http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/cps_loses_a_solar_provider_102017078.html

     In 1999 in Daggett, CA, a concentrated solar power plant using molten salt storage exploded and caught fire, burning 900,000 gallons of flammable oil. http://www.digitalstoryteller.com/BTV99/hartley/0303.shtml

     It’s important that we get as many people as possible to voice their concerns.  The public comment deadline for SolarReserve is Friday, September 17 at 4PM, in person or in writing to Saguache County Land Use, P.O. Box 326, Saguache, CO 81149.

     Two public meetings are scheduled – on Monday September 13 from 6-8 PM at the Saguache Town hall is a chance for people to ask questions and learn about the proposed project.  On Tuesday September 14 from 6-8 PM at the Center High School Auditorium (500 S. Broadway) is a chance to offer input to the commissioners.


Community Solar Gardens

     What’s the alternative?  Everyone can own their own solar panels and get their electricity from the Sun, even if their roof is shaded (important in Tree Town USA!).  The new Community Solar Gardens Act, signed by Governor Ritter on June 5.  Similar laws are already in place in Washington, Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts.

      The Solar Gardens Institute http://www.solargardens.org has been working to establish this kind of law around the country – particularly in Oregon, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin, New York, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.  This has been keeping me on the road quite a bit! 

     In Colorado, we’ve been meeting with members of the Public Utilities Commission, XCEL energy, and state and local officials to help create rules that support grassroots community groups and small rural counties.  We are actively promoting three solar garden projects within the San Luis Valley and one each in Huerfano and Las Animas counties.

     On Friday September 17 at 10 AM the Saguache Alliance for Green Energy (SAGE) will be meeting at the Saguache BLM office.  I’ll be talking about our specific proposal to establish a 0.2 Megawatt (1/1000 the size of Tessera) plant made of ordinary solar panels to supply the municipal buildings, low income housing, and homes with big, beautiful trees.  Please attend and learn more!

Sincerely,

Joy  Hughes
Founder, Solar Gardens Institute