Power lines stand in way of huge solar farm

updated 4:38 p.m. ET June 17, 2008

SAN DIEGO - It seems like an idea any environmentalist would embrace: Build one of the world's largest solar power operations in the Southern California desert and surround it with plants that run on wind and underground heat.

Yet San Diego Gas & Electric Co. and its potential partners face fierce opposition because the plan also calls for a 150-mile, high-voltage transmission line that would cut through pristine parkland to reach the nation's eighth-largest city.

The showdown over how to get renewable energy to consumers will likely play out elsewhere around the country as well, as state regulators require electric utilities to rely less on coal and natural gas to fire their plants — the biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S.

Providers of renewable power covet cheap land and abundant sunshine and wind in places like west Texas, Montana, Wyoming and California's Mojave Desert and Imperial Valley. But utility executives say no one will build plants without power lines to connect those remote spots to big cities.

"This is a classic chicken and the egg," said Mike Niggli, chief operating officer of Sempra Energy's utilities business, which includes SDG&E. "No one can develop a project if they can't send (the electricity) anywhere. You need transmission."

SDG&E's $1.5-billion power line would cut 23 miles through the middle of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, a spot known for its hiking trails, wildflowers, palm groves, cacti and spectacular mountain views.

"This transmission line will cross through some of the most scenic areas of San Diego," said David Hogan of the Center for Biological Diversity. "It would just ruin it with giant, metal industrial power lines."

Solar atop roofs instead?
Environmentalists are pushing for renewable power to be generated closer to heavily populated areas, rather than brought in from distant sites. They point to Southern California Edison's ambitious plan for solar panels on Los Angeles-area rooftops as an example of a better approach.

Utilities say the roof panels will help but won't produce nearly enough power to satisfy state requirements.

The California Public Utilities Commission is scheduled to vote as soon as August on SDG&E's proposed Sunrise Powerlink, which would carry enough power for about 750,000 homes — or more than half of the utility's customers.

Regulators in 29 states and the District of Columbia are forcing utilities to boost the use of renewable energy to run electric plants.

California has been among the most aggressive, with the state's three investor-owned utilities required to get 20 percent of power from renewables by the end of 2010.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to reach 33 percent by 2020.

SDG&E, with 1.4 million customers, is California's laggard, getting just 6 percent of its power from renewables. PG&E Corp.'s Pacific Gas and Electric, with 5.1 million customers, gets 12 percent. Edison International's Southern California Edison, with 4.8 million customers, gets 16 percent.

Nationwide, utilities get only 2 percent of electricity from renewables, said Jone-Linn Wang, managing director of the global power group at Cambridge Energy Research Associates.

Lenny Ignelzi / AP The LS Power Generation's South Bay Plant in Chula Vista, Calif., is outdated and an eyesore. San Diego Gas and Electric says the plant will be closed if their Sunrise Powerlink plan is approved.

Edison hopes to draw more on solar and wind power by building a transmission line from the Mojave Desert to the Los Angeles area.

"It's a trade-off," said Stuart Hemphill, Edison's vice president for renewable and alternative power. "Clean energy perhaps requires building infrastructure in potentially sensitive areas. There's no way around it."

SDG&E's proposed route through Anza-Borrego, California's largest state park, ranked second worst among seven possible routes studied by state and federal regulators for environmental damage.

The plan calls for 141 towers through the park at an average height of 130 feet. The entire route would include 554 towers from the wind-swept desert of the Imperial Valley to a site near the Pacific Ocean in San Diego.

MORE FROM ENVIRONMENT

Environment Section Front

Brazil: ‘Gringos’ must pay to save Amazon   Sea turtle sacrifices? Indonesia says no way Australia town to shoot invading camels China vows to slow carbon emissions growth Newsweek: Is carbon sequestration really green? U.S. sets climate target ahead of summit Nissan hatches plan to boost battery cars S. Africa's baboon gangs get more aggressive ‘Flotilla’ of icebergs sails toward New Zealand GOP opens probe into climate science e-mails Environment Section Front   Add Environment headlines to your news reader: