We begin with Bureau of Land Management (BLM) which announced the launch of 19 new energy efficient projects for developing renewable energy in the year 2011. The BLM is committed to its priority of developing renewable energy projects that will contribute intensely towards the country’s energy portfolio.
BLM’s priority list has a total of 9 solar projects, 5 geothermal projects and 5 wind projects on the Western Coast. The solar project has a potential output of 2,673 megawatts while the wind projects will have an estimated output of 1,024 megawatts. The BLM prepared this priority list jointly with the Fish and Wildlife Service as well as the National Park Service. BLM also did screening criteria for all the above renewable energy projects developed through its policy memoranda in February, 2011.
In case a company wants to prove that its project is a priority project, the company must show to BLM that the project has reached a stage to formally begin a public review process and have the potential to be cleared by the end of 2011. The project should also be established in an area that does minimum damage to the surrounding environment.
Projects that will now meet the screening criteria of the memorandum will not be included in the 2011 list. These projects will then require a level of analysis and consultation to resolve the present issues and make them ready for the priority list again. All projects that meet the criteria set by the BLM will attract investment opportunities from the public. The BLM has also drafted policies to assist in the processing of wind and solar energy on public lands.
Another major project worth a mention is the SunShot initiative. This initiative is taken to reduce the costs of producing photovoltaic systems by 75 percent. This will help the various solar projects in the country to stimulate industrial growth. The company will give $27 million to the nine present projects across the country and additional $50.5 million to offshore wind energy sites.
This initiative will help the new innovations to reduce their research and production costs of solar energy. The efforts will positively contribute to the rapid economic progress of the country. It will help reach the President’s goal of completely using clean energy in the next 25 years. By reducing the costs of these projects the price per watt will drop to $1.