First Major U.S. Solar Project Approved on Tribal Land

Steve Leone, Associate Editor, RenewableEnergyWorld.com
June 22, 2012 | 11 Comments

America's push toward large-scale solar took a landmark step in a new direction Thursday when the Obama administration approved a 350-megawatt (MW) PV project on tribal land 30 miles north of Las Vegas.

The project is the 31st utility-scale renewable development approved by the Department of the Interior (DOI) on public land since 2009, but it marks the first time such a project has gotten this far on tribal land. The DOI acts as the trustee for more than 55 million acres of tribal land and resources.

If built, the project would go on about 2,000 acres of tribal trust land of the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians in Clark County, Nev. According to the tribal website, two million acres were set aside in 1874, but two years later it was reduced to just 1,000 acres. In 1980, the Carter Administration restored 70,000 acres. The solar farm would take up about 3 percent of the tribe’s land.

The project would be owned by the tribe, but developed and operated by K Road Power. The K Road Moapa Solar project is expected to be built in three phases between 100 and 150 megawatts. It would also include a 500-kilovolt transmission line to the grid and a 12-kilovolt transmission line to the existing Moapa Travel Plaza, which already includes a casino, a store, a cafe, a gas station and what the tribe says is the largest fireworks selection in the West.

According to K Road — also the developer of the 850-MW Calico Solar project east of Barstow, Calif. — the first phase of Moapa Solar is targeted for completion by 2014. The project is expected to create 400 construction jobs at peak and about 15 to 20 permanent positions. At least a portion of those jobs are expected to go to tribal members. According to the DOI, the project will bring in lease income for the tribe over the 50-year term, though further details were not disclosed.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the tribe could work to strike a power purchase agreement (PPA) with NV Energy, the company it has been in legal battles with over emissions from a coal plant located just outside its territory. An NV Energy spokesperson told the paper that the utility does not currently need new solar contracts to meet renewable requirements, but that it wouldn’t rule out a PPA in the years ahead.

The approval further advances the Obama Administration’s agenda of forging ahead with large-scale solar projects on public lands. Since 2009, the administration has approved 17 solar projects, six wind farms and eight geothermal plants, creating a 7,200-MW pipeline on public land.

The move toward tribal lands could significantly increase the options for large-scale projects. In November, the administration proposed sweeping new leasing regulations that would streamline permitting for renewable energy projects on tribal lands.

“This is a great day for the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians, and for Indian Country as a whole,” said Donald “Del” Laverdure, Acting Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs. “As our nation’s energy portfolio continues to grow, it is important that tribal communities have the opportunity to harness the energy of the wind and sun in a way that can power our homes, businesses and economies. Today is a important step in that direction.”

Tara S. Kaushik, a senior associate with Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, wrote on RenewableEnergyWorld.com in February that several tribes nationwide are working to build renewable energy projects on their land. It’s an endeavor with clear economic benefits, she added, but one with considerable challenges.

11 Comments

Penny Melko
June 27, 2012

to Wizard12357: Unless someone live near the desert and gets local news you can't comprehend the constant attack on the wildlands. A 109 turbine project was approved last year right in the middle of the California major migratory path and where Calif. condors forage. I personally think they'll be extinct in the next 10 years from the multiple assaults on them. A wetland is being used to water to keep dust down on 14 miles of road and also pumped to a batch plant to make 109 cement pads. It will go down 9 feet or more. This is merely one assault. This isn't only land I was born into, it belongs to all of us to protect. I really expected my portion of the 30% subsidies we are paying would go to technology that had some level of integrity but it's not.

Penny Melko
June 27, 2012

I don't want to send the link to the redorbit site because it's somehow treated as spamming, but here is the first paragraph to the article I read a few days ago. BERKELEY, Calif., June 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Solar cells do not offset greenhouse gases or curb fossil fuel use in the United States according to a new environmental book, Green Illusions (June 2012, University of Nebraska Press), written by University of California – Berkeley visiting scholar Ozzie Zehner. Green Illusions explains how the solar industry has grown to become one of the leading emitters of hexafluoroethane (C2F6), nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). These three potent greenhouse gases, used by solar cell fabricators, make carbon dioxide (CO2) seem harmless. Source: redOrbit (http://s.tt/1djK8)

Penny Melko
June 27, 2012

There is one single fact, irrespective of where we stand personally. If people don't stand together and quit believing what the profiteers are selling to us we'll continue to loose the rest of the wildlife in the deserts. I've been following desert activity for at least 6 years now. Solar is only one area of attack on desert wildlife. Ft. Irwin has taken many bites of the Mojave Desert tortoises as has BLM, private companies and individual land owners. Ft. Irwin spent millions "translocating" tortoises, removing them during hibernation. When they woke up in a strange place their instincts drove them in a direction toward their original habitats. They we mostly all eaten by ravens and coyotes. This happened twice. They had a duty to be more diligent than that. The same thing has happened on every single encroachment for Ivanpah and all the other "desert" projects in California. My friends, it won't stop until we make it stop.

Gerry Wootton
June 27, 2012

Sandcanyongal: little miss information. How about mentioning the little patch of wilderness despoiled by you. In any case, nitrogen trifluoride is not even used in making conventional cells and only occassionaly used to scrub chambers where amorphous silicon is deposited - an issue only for a-Si TF modules. This material and scrubbing byproducts are not released to the atmosphere in the process. I have worked in vertically integrated conventional solar facilities where basically nothing used gets out, not even the water, everything is contained, much of it recycled. Only one process, produced halogen vapors (chlorine) and had double containment - nothing escaped (this is modern industrial hygeine not WW I trench warfare).

Penny Melko
June 27, 2012

freeasthewind. Thanks for the reality check.

Penny Melko
June 26, 2012

Have a single one of you read about the infamous Ivanpah experimental project foo-pah. Sustainable in the same sentence as killing massive numbers of birds, interfering with air traffic radar and the nitrogen triflouride greenhouse gases doesn't doesn't hold water. You folks have it all wrong - on a global scale wrong.

MARK SMITH
June 26, 2012

These Moapa people sound smart, but American Indians generally have retarded sustainable energy, especially proposed solar projects.They have cost developers $$ millions. I hope this Nevada project works out.

Bob "The Clean Energy Guy" Mitchell
June 26, 2012

Sandcanyongal: It's true that solar panels, just like any other manufactured product creates some emissions. It's also true that in the case of solar panels that some of these emissions are potent green house gases. What's NOT true in your statement is that solar panels are, "No more Green than coal". That statement is not true because you have to look at the total emissions over the life cycle of the panel. In the case of solar panels the total life cycle output of greenhouse gas emissions is about 10 times less per kilowatt than producing that power from fossil fuels. That's not to say that efforts to curb GHG emissions from the manufacture of solar panels shouldn't be curtailed as much as possible, but in the REAL WORLD there isn't any comparison. Especially, when you factor in other emissions and pollutants emitted during the mining and burning of coal and other fossil fuels. Bob "The Clean Energy Guy" Mitchell

Alex Zaitsev
June 26, 2012

I used to work at the silicon plant and no fluorine compounds were used in the manufactory of c-Si. Besides, the removal of part of the solar energy may lead to local beneficial climate change. Some 1000 years ago this area was not as arid as it is presently, so the idea of desert protection is at least arguable.

TODD HOUCK
June 26, 2012

Ever wonder why people immediately go negative when something good happens in renewables? The Moapas get a reliable energy stream and stake in its future. Las Vegas has a ridiculous amount of useless lights on right now and needs all the energy it can get. Further, Ford's Model T came before the Model A (see REW: All-carbon Solar Cell Harnesses Infrared Light). If this setup works, it will offer a lot of relief to a lot of people with a future of increasing energy yields. I partially agree with Sandy though. Seems like noxious emissions ought to be sequestered from all ends of the production cycle however the desert out west has plenty of open space.

Penny Melko
June 26, 2012

PV is no more green than coal. During the manufacture and cleaning nitrogen triflouride is emitted, said to be 35 times worse than Co2 emissions. Also, only city people have the misconception that the desert is a useless place. I guess living on concrete, sod and asphalt hide real living organisms, wildlife and man's ecosystems. Oh, no! Bugs. Kill them!

Add Your Comments

To add your comments you must sign-in or create a free account.

Steve Leone

Steve Leone has been a journalist for more than 15 years and has worked for news organizations in Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Virginia and California.