With all the talk about renewable energy sources, one would think that the Mojave dessert would be the ideal place for a large, solar energy site. The suns shines 360 days a year. There are businesses ready to get financing for large scale projects. California has aggressive goals for development of renewable energy sources. This sounds like a project that's a win-win for everyone. Wrong. Apparently these large desert areas are not suitable for large scale solar projects because the delicate ecosystem may be disturbed. (see this link) It appears the desert tortise needs 5.8 million acres to live in. The Mojave ground squirrel get 1.7 million acres. A scientist from the Joshua Tree National Park is concern about light pollution of the desert sky. Some nocturnal wildlife may be affected. This all sounds a little bizarre to my mind. This is the desert! Virtually nobody goes there! Virtually nobody want to go there! If it take this much red tape to install solar panels out in the desert, let' just forget about solar technology and drill for more offshore oil. The same kind of environmental fights are taking place off Cape Cod in Massachusetts regarding a wind farm about 6 miles from the shore. It seems there is a chance a bird may fly into the blades. This is environmentalism going over line.
I think we can proceed with these green energy projects without undue worry. I think the desert ground squirrel will be just fine. I predict the shady area under the solar collectors will create a whole new ecosystem. If he could speak, the Mojave ground squirrel would probably welcome the shady areas. If the squirrel could think, he would wonder why we didn't build this earlier and give him some relief from the sun.
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