8 Offbeat Hurdles for Solar Power Plants

There’s a massive 2.5GW of solar thermal projects planned for the California and Arizona deserts, and with construction starting to get underway on a good number of them, there’s bound to be a variety of hurdles.

But what are some of the lesser-known obstacles when you actually get down to the nitty gritty of putting stakes in the ground? You know, things like the lack of available steam turbines on the market, huge amounts of water used for cooling, disrupting endangered species (um, desert lizards), encountering native American spiritual grounds, territorial hobbyists (read: off-roaders), and the big kahuna: transmissions lines. Here are 8 of the less well-known obstacles to solar thermal plants:

Endangered species: Bob Bill Fishman, CEO of Ausra, said at the Fortune Green conference that solar power plants can run up against unexpected issues like endangered species (and he specifically named desert lizards) while finding appropriate locations for construction. The solution to protecting endangered species and getting plants built, he says, is to buy an equal-sized piece of land as the plant and keep it as a nature reserve.

Steam turbines: As the solar industry rapidly ramps up, individual components are slowing the process down. Fishman also said at the Fortune Green conference that steam turbines for Ausra’s solar power plants are taking as long as two to two and a half years to get delivered. It’s almost like you have to order the parts before the sites gets approved, he noted. Most of the world’s steam turbines are getting bogarted by the developing world as China, and the Middle East undergo a construction boom. And with very few steam turbine makers (GE is one of the few), the hardware is in tight supply.

Transmission lines: While the first solar power plants are being built close to transmission lines, the vast majority of the sunny deserts are miles from any existing infrastructure. But permitting and capital costs for running high-tension wires for hundreds of miles are both large hurdles. SDG&E’s Sunrise Transmission project has seen it’s fair share of obstacles and more lines will still be needed.

Enthusiastic hobbyists: Off-roaders, and other groups that use the desert for their activities, will try to make sure the land they’ve been using is kept free for them. Many companies say the best option is to help the groups get designated land and then work with them to secure their own land. Just don’t straight up ignore or fight against the groups, they caution — no matter what you think of their hobby. Dune-themed LARPing anyone?

Water needs: Solar power plants require a lot of water, and water-cooled plants could be particularly hard to get permitted. Figuring out how to build the plants with less water — some use molten salt as a heat transfer fluid — could be a cheaper and easier option.

Spiritual lands: Even more than the territorial hobbyists, the burial grounds or sacred lands of desert-living Native Americans are strong deterrents to putting up solar thermal collectors. Siting plants near or on such spaces has to be negotiated in the same way, though: with a lot of discussion and respect.

Dust: With no shortage of dust in the desert, keeping mirrors and lenses clean and clear on hundreds of heliostats is no small task. Currently, many solar thermal plant operators wash the mirrors to rinse the dirt off, taking time, water and money. ReflecTech, a the reflective film venture by SkyFuel, says it is working on a dust-phobic coating.

Monkey Wrenchers: Taking their name from curmudgeonly Edward Abbey’s seminal text, Monkey Wrenchers, also known as ecoterrorists, are accomplished saboteurs when it comes to large, environmentally disruptive construction. While you’d think the environmentalists would be all for renewable energy, the ecoterrorits in Abbey’s original book, The Monkey Wrench Gang, plotted to blow up a hydroelectric dam. Night security guards might be needed out in the Mojave.

Craig Rubens contributed to this post.

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