Report
Columbia Plateau least-conflict solar siting
WSUEEP, 22-004, Washington State University Extension Energy Program
05/2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000006902
Abstract
Washington State has a directive to eliminate coal in the state’s resource mix by 2025, and for the state’s electricity to be 100% carbon-free by the year 2045. One of the first milestones is to produce 80% of our electricity from clean sources by 2030. To help meet the state’s objectives, large-scale solar developments are necessary. The Columbia Plateau in eastern Washington supports productive farmland and rangeland as well as native shrubsteppe habitat. Less than 40% of intact shrubsteppe remains in eastern Washington. It is also some of the most preferred land in Washington state for solar energy developers. The Least-Conflict Solar Siting project poses the question: where can large-scale solar be developed in the Columbia Plateau region while also ensuring that important habitat, productive farmlands and rangelands, and tribal treaty rights are protected? To answer that question, Washington State University (WSU) Energy Program is leading a voluntary, collaborative effort that brings stakeholders together to identify areas in the Columbia Plateau region where the siting of utility-scale solar is less likely to generate significant conflict.
Metrics
5 File views/ downloads
11 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Columbia Plateau least-conflict solar siting
- Creators
- Washington State University. Extension. Energy Program
- Academic Unit
- Publications, WSU Extension; WSU Energy Program
- Series
- WSUEEP; 22-004
- Publisher
- Washington State University Extension Energy Program; Olympia, Washington
- Format
- pdf
- Identifiers
- 99901156439101842
- Copyright
- http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Report