Palen Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)developers BrightSource Energy and Abengoa Solar have proposed a host of changes to the project.
The view from Tower 1 at the Ivanpah solar thermal power system shows the thousands of heliostat mirrors that reflect the sun’s rays onto it, creating heat and energy. Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun The view from Tower 1 at the Ivanpah solar thermal power system shows the thousands of heliostat mirrors that reflect the sun's rays onto it creating heat and energy near the California-Nevada border, Thursday, February 13, 2013. (Photo: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun )
Palen Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) developers BrightSource Energy and Abengoa Solar have proposed a host of changes to the project, sparking a new wave of legal filings from all sides. The proposals appeared to pay off on Monday, when the energy commission’s staff withdrew its original recommendation for denial, instead declaring that it “no longer has a recommendation.”
While the commission is not obligated to follow its staff’s recommendations, the change of course was a positive development for BrightSource and Abengoa. With commission staff no longer actively opposing the project, the odds of moving forward seem better than they have been in months.
The developers hope for energy commission approval by October, believing that if they start construction any later, they might not be able to apply for federal income tax credits that expire at the end of 2016.
But environmental and tribal groups are still largely unimpressed with the mitigation methods the developers have proposed. Several dozen people testified against the project at the hearing this week, some during a grueling Wednesday session that lasted from 9 a.m. until nearly 10 p.m.
Among those testifying was Gary Cathey, chief of the aeronautics division of the state Department of Transportation. At the energy commission’s request, Cathey had flown over BrightSource’s massive Ivanpah solar plant — which uses the same concentrated solar technology that would be used at Palen — to test the glare created by the thousands of mirrors in the open San Bernardino County desert.
“Flying in the vicinity of the (Ivanpah) facility generated the brightest, most extensive amount of glare that I have seen in my aviation career — and I have been flying since 1986,” Cathey wrote in a May email to the commission. “As you may have noticed, I had to shield my eyes with my hand as I was scanning for aircraft traffic while we flew eastbound.”
In an interview with The Desert Sun on Thursday, he said “I would not want to see something of similar magnitude generated by the new facility.”
termosolar, Concentrated Solar Power, Concentrating Solar Power, CSP, Concentrated Solar Thermal Power, solar power, solar energy, BrightSource Energy, Abengoa, U.S., Palen,