Solar Farms in the California Central Coast Region

Topaz Solar Farm in San Luis Obispo County. Image from Gigaom: [1]

This page discusses solar farms in the central coast region.

Summary

Solar farms, also referred to as photovoltaic power stations or solar parks, are large-scale arrangements of solar panels designed to supply energy into the power grid. These energy sources convert solar energy into electric energy that can be transferred to consumers.

Currently, there are two large-scale solar farms in California's Central Coast Region. Two additional solar farms are in the process of being build: one in Monterey County and a second in San Benito County.

Locations in the Central Coast Region

Existing

Name	Location	Date Completed	Acres	Energy capacity	Developer	Technology	Equivalent # of homes powered
California Valley Solar Ranch	San Luis Obispo County (Carrizo Plain)	October 2013	1500	250 MWac	SunPower	Oasis® Power Plant (PV single axis tracking arrays)	100,000
Topaz Solar Farm	San Luis Obispo County (Carrizo Plain)	Novemeber 2014	4700	550 MWac	First Solar	PV arrays, fixed at 25 degree angle	160,000

Proposed

California Flats Solar Project

Artist rendition of proposed California Flats Solar Project. Image from 9to5mac: [2]

First Solar has proposed building a 2,900 acre 280 megawatt AC solar park in Monterey County's Cholame Valley. The proposed project is estimated to bring in 300 construction and 11 ongoing operational jobs into the County. Once completed, the park would generate a power output estimated to cover the energy needs of 100,000 homes per year and would displace 109,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Apple has partnered with First solar and has committed approximately $850 million to help build the California Flats Solar Project. The technological company stated that environmental concerns over climate change drove them to invest in green energy alternatives. Apple plans to power both Cupertino campuses and all 52 Apple Stores in the state with energy from the California Flats Solar Farm.

Panoche Valley Solar

Duke Energy, a large-scale developer, owner and operator of renewable energy projects across the state plans to build the Panoche Valley Solar Farm in the San Benito County's Panoche Valley. Once fully operational, the farm would generate an estimated 247 megawatts of energy. The energy output would be enough to power an average of 90,000 homes a year and would displace 250,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year.

Duke Energy's proposed plan also includes plans of setting aside land for mitigation purposes. In total, Duke Energy plans on using 26,000 acres for their farm. Less than 2,500 acres will consist of solar farms and the remainder will be used for mitigation. The plan proposes a 9:1 conservation to use mitigation ratio.

Impacts

Construction of the Topaz Solar Farm, February 2012. Image from USFWS: [3]

Economic

Solar Farm development and upkeep create jobs in the economy. Between 2009 and 2014, a total of 10,200 solar related construction jobs were created. An additional 136 permanent operations and maintenance jobs have also been created; these jobs will likely persist throughout the lifetime of the solar facilities. The creation of solar farms also have a short-term boost on local economies. The California Flats Solar Project is expected to boost local commerce when workers make purchases in local shops and restaurants.

Scenic

Solar farms can affect scenic views and alter landscape aesthetics. The panels and arrays have the potential to degrade the visual character or quality of the landscape. A way to reduce aesthetic impacts is to build low-lying solar arrays, as the case with the proposed solar farm in Monterey County.

Environmental Concerns

Species of concern

California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Solar Farms

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) created the Renewable Energy Program to facilitate between the state's need for renewable energy and maintenance of natural resources. The Renewable Energy Program enforces compliance and grants permits renegading the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).

Carrizo Plain Endangered and Threatened Species

San Joaquin kit foxes near a solar farm in the Carrizo Plain. Image from USFWS: [4]

On September 2, 2011, the CDFW issued a State Incidental Take Permit (2081-2011-04-04) in response to the presence of San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica) in the proposed Topaz Solar Farm location. The Incidental Take Permit designated 12,147 acres of "mitigation lands" to serve as habitat for several threatened and endangered species. These species included in the report are:

Common name	Scientific name
San Joaquin kit fox	Vulpes macrotis mutica
blunt-nosed leopard lizard	Gambelia sila
giant kangaroo rat	Dipodomys ingens
listed fairy shrimp	Branchinecta lynchi
Nelson’s antelope squirrel	Ammospermophilus nelsoni
mountain plover	Charadrius montanus
burrowing owl	Athene cunicularia
pronghorn	Antilocapra americana
tule elk	Cervus canadensis nannodes

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) notes that additional species of concern include:

Common name	Scientific name
longhorn fairy shrimp	Branchinecta longiantenna
golden eagle	Aquila chrysaetos
long-billed curlfew	Numenius americanus
loggerhead shrike fly	Lanius ludovicianus

There are several more species that could be impacted by solar farms in the Carrizo Plain as it has the highest concentration of threatened and endangered species in the state. Both SunPower and First Solar are committed to protecting biological diversity and have created conservation plants to protect habitat for these species.

Panoche Valley

Animal species

An environmental impact report (EIR) by San Benito County assessed the effects of the proposed solar farm on three present endangered species. The results of the (EIR) are summarized in the table below.

Common Name	Scientific Name	Potential to occur	Status in California	Impact of Panoche Valley Solar Farm	Proposed mitigation
San Joaquin kit fox	Vulpes macrotis mutica	Present	Federally endangered; state threatened	Threatens high priority habitat important for long term survival and recovery of species.	Prioritize habitat in the Ciervo-Panoche and Kern County as that would be the least expensive way to protect large tracts of habitat
giant kangaroo rat	Dipodomys ingens	Present	Federally and state endangered	Threatens high priority habitat important for long term survival and recovery of species.	Secure the Ciervo‐Panoche Region from incompatible land uses
blunt‐nosed leopard lizard	Gambelia sila	Present	Federally and state endangered; state fully protected	Threatens high priority habitat important for long term survival and recovery of species.	6,000 contiguous acres of occupied habitat within the Ciervo‐Panoche area needs to be secured from incompatible uses.

Additionally, several other invertebrate and vertebrate species occur or have the potential to occur in the proposed solar farm site. These organisms include:

Common name	Scientific name	Potential to occur	Status in California
longhorn Fairy Shrimp	Branchinecta longiantenna	Not likely to occur	Federally endangered
vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp	Branchinecta lynchi	Present	Federally threatened
Southwestern pond turtle	Actinemys marmorata pallida	Not likely to occur	California species of special concern
silvery legless lizard	Anniella pulchra pulchra	Not likely to occur	California species of special concern
San Joaquin coachwhip	Masticophis flagellum ruddocki	Present	California species of special concern
coast horned lizard	Phrynosoma blainvillii	Present	California species of special concern
California red-legged frog	Rana draytonii	Not likely to occur	Federally and state protected
two-striped garter snake	Thamnophis hammondii	Not likely to occur	California species of concern
California tiger salamander	Ambystoma californiense	Present	Federally threatened; state threatened candidate
western spadefoot toad	Spea hammondii	Moderate	California species of concern
tricolored blackbird	Agelaius tricolor	Present	California species of concern
grasshopper sparrow	Ammodramus savannarum	Moderate	California species of concern
golden eagle	Aquila chrysaetos	Present	State fully protected
short-eared owl	Asio flammeus	High	California species of concern
long-eared owl	Asio otus	Low	California species of concern
Burrowing owl	Athene cunicularia	Present	California species of concern
Swainson’s hawk	Buteo swainsonii	Low	State threatened
mountain plover	Charadrius montanus	Present	California species of concern; federally threatened candidate
northern harrier	Circus cyaneus	Present	California species of concern; federally threatened candidate
white-tailed kite	Elanus leucurus	Low	State fully protected
California condor	Gymnogyps californianus	Moderate	Federally and state endangered
bald eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Not likely to occur	Federally protected; state endangered
Loggerhead shrike	Lanius ludovicianus	Present	California species of concern
Oregon vesper sparrow	Pooecetes gramineus affinis	High	California species of concern
yellow-headed Blackbird	Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus	Not likely to occur	California species of concern
San Joaquin antelope squirrel	Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus	Not likely to occur	California species of concern
pallid bat	Antrozous pallidus	High	California species of concern
Townsend’s big-eared bat	Corynorhinus townsendii	Low	California species of concern
short-nosed kangaroo rat	Dipodomys nitratoides brevinasus	High	California species of concern
western mastiff bat	Eumops perotis	Moderate	California species of concern
Tulare grasshopper mouse	Onychomys torridus tularensis	Low	California species of concern
American badger	Taxidea taxus	Present	California species of concern

Plant species

The proposed site also has the potential to support several special status plant species. These species include:

Common name	Scientific name	Potential to occur	Status in California
forked fiddleneck	Amsinckia vernicosa var. furcata	High	Fairly endangered
California androsace	Androsace elongata ssp. Acuta	Moderate	Fairly endangered
Salinas milkvetch	Astragalus macrodon	Low	Not very endangered
Heartscale	Atriplex cordulata	Low	Fairly endangered
Crownscale	Atriplex coronate var. coronate	Low	Fairly endangered
Brittlescale	Atriplex depressa	Low	Fairly endangered
San Joaquin spearscale	Atriplex joaquiniana	Low	Fairly endangered
Lesser saltscale	Atriplex minuscule	Low	Seriously endangered
Subtle orache	Atriplex subtilis	Low	Fairly endangered
lost hills crownscale	Atriplex vallicola	Low	Fairly endangered
Big tarplant	Blepharizonia plumose	Low	Seriously endangered
round-leaved filaree	California macrophylla	Low	Seriously endangered
California jewel-flower	Caulanthus californicus	Moderate	Seriously endangered
Lemmon’s jewel-flower	Caulanthus coulteri var. lemmonii.	Moderate	Fairly endangered
Potbellied spineflower	Chorizanthe ventricosa	Moderate	Not very endangered
Hispid bird’s-beak	Cordylanthus mollis ssp. Hispidus	Low	Seriously endangered
Hall’s tarplant	Deinandra halliana	Moderate	Seriously endangered
gypsum-loving larkspur	Delphinium gypsophilum ssp. Gypsophilum	Present	Fairly endangered
recurved larkspur	Delphinium recurvatum	Present	Fairly endangered
cottony buckwheat	Eriogonum gossypinum	Low	Fairly endangered
Idria buckwheat	Eriogonum vestitum	Moderate	Not very endangered
pale-yellow layia	Layia heterotricha	Moderate	Seriously endangered
Munz’s tidytips	Layia munzii	Moderate	Fairly endangered
Jared’s pepper-grass	Lepidium jaredii ssp. Jaredii	Low	Fairly endangered
Serpentine Linanthus	Leptosiphon ambiguous	Present	Fairly endangered
showy golden madia	Madia radiate	Moderate	Seriously endangered
San Joaquin woollythreads	Monolopia congdonii	Low	Fairly endangered

California Flats Solar Project

The final EIR for the California Flats Solar Project was released by Monterey County in December 2014. The EIR listed several plant and animal species of concern that can be found or have the potential to be found in the proposed solar farm site.

Plant species

• Small-flowered morning glory (Convolvulus simulans)
• Rattan’s cryptantha (Cryptantha rattanii)
• diamond-petaled California poppy (Eschscholzia rhombipetala)
• Diablo Range hare-leaf (Lagophylla diaboloensis)

Animal species

• coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii)
• tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor)
• short-eared owl (Asio flammeus)
• burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia)
• bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
• loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
• grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum)
• long-eared owl (Asio otus)
• mountain plover (Charadrius montanus)
• northern harrier (Circus cyaneus)
• whitetailed kite (Elanus leucurus)
• Oregon vesper sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus affinis)
• San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica)
• American badger (Taxidea taxus)
• Pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus)
• western mastiff bat (Eumops perotis californicus)
• San Joaquin pocket mouse (Perognathus inornatus inornatus)

Land usage and agriculture

Artist rendition of a hypothetical agave plant and solar panel system. Image from greentechlead: [5]

Solar farms in the Central Coast Region could impact pre-existing land usage. A 2015 study by the Carnegie Institution of Science found that 15 percent of existing and proposed solar farms in California exist on land already impacted by human development. 28% of these farms impacted croplands and pastures and could impact the agriculture industry.

Solar farms could have positive impacts on the agriculture industry. Some farmers are considering retiring agriculture land and using it to develop more profitable solar farms.

Scientists at Stanford University have developed a way to grow crops in solar farms. Computer simulated experiments reveal that certain plants like agave could grow around solar panels. These plants would be beneficial to the solar panels as their roots would anchor the soil and foliage below and reduce dust kick up. The agave plants would benefit from the solar panels as they could capture runoff water used to clean the solar panels. This system could also create a pathway to increase ethanol production as the agave could be harvested and converted into biofuel.

Links

• California's Central Coast Region
• Monterey County

Disclaimer

This page may contain student work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessary reflect the opinion or policy of [CSUMB], its staff, or students.