Solar Siting and Wildlife

Site Selection and Wildlife  

Every single large-scale solar project proposed on either private or public lands in the U.S. must navigate complex federal, state, and local regulatory channels regarding natural resources and habitat conservation. On public lands, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), of the U.S. Department of Interior is authorized to permit the development of solar and other energy projects. BLM right-of-way (ROW) permits undergo a strict review process before being issued, including through a robust National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. Where solar projects may encounter endangered or threatened species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency (FSW) will conduct an Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7 consultation in collaboration with the BLM. During these environmental reviews, solar developers provide the BLM with detailed information including preliminary plans of development, project construction plans, and mitigation measures. The BLM, in coordination with FSW and state and local authorities, also holds public hearings with members of the community to gauge the impact of the project on the area.

Managing Solar Projects Near Sensitive Habitats

When managing solar projects sited near species of concern or sensitive habitats, solar developers work with the relevant federal and local agencies to follow an avoid, minimize, mitigate framework. Where impacts cannot be avoided, project developers are using innovative mitigation measures to ensure maximum species protection and conservation.

Project Examples

• BrightSource Energy, Inc. consulted with agencies regarding its proposed 370-megawatt Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System on public land in San Bernardino, Calif.  Among its habitat and land mitigation plans, the company developed a Desert Tortoise Translocation Plan and a Revegetation and Reclamation Plan, including the purchase of 4,000 acres of land to relocate the tortoise and other sensitive plant and animal species. Brightsource has spent more than $56 million protecting desert tortoises and their habitat near the Ivanpah project.
• SolarReserve, LLC developed the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project, located northwest of Tonopah, Nevada. Developers installed and maintain transmission lines in accordance with guidelines that ensure the least possible interference with local bird populations, while also monitoring the nest of a nearby endangered golden eagle during and after construction. To deter small wildlife creatures, 8-foot high fences were installed around the evaporation ponds.
• SunPower Corporation redesigned the PV array layouts on its 250 megawatt California Valley Solar Ranch in San Luis Obispo, California to substantially avoid sensitive biological resources, including eliminating one array to reduce impacts on the Giant Kangaroo Rat (GKR) population. To promote wildlife migration, SunPower also removed some exclusionary fencing.
• Pine Gate Renewables developed the Moore Solar project near forested lands where species permeability was of critical concern to conservation stakeholders. Pine Gate used elevated fencing around the project so that the San Joaquin Kit fox could continue to migrate through the project area.