Report
Report to the Washington State Legislature least-conflict solar siting on the Columbia Plateau : June 2023
WSUEEP, 23-004, Washington State University Extension Energy Program
06/2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000006898
Abstract
While utility-scale solar energy facilities are needed in Washington state to help meet the state’s mandate of 100% non-emitting and renewable retail electric load by 2045, where these solar facilities will be sited can be a matter of contention. Since the Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA) was passed in 2019, solar development companies have shown great interest in building utility-scale photovoltaic farms in the eastern part of Washington state. The eastern part of the state, specifically the sunny Columbia Plateau region, is also home to unique and endangered species and habitat, as well as prime farmland and ranchland. Tribes with reservations within the plateau and other Tribes, including a few located in neighboring states, have rights to use the land for cultural practices, gathering, hunting, and fishing. Cognizant of the tension between protecting important lands and the need for renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (with the goal of lessening the effects of climate change), the Washington State Legislature passed a budget proviso directing the Washington State University (WSU) Energy Program to carry out a Least-Conflict Solar Siting on the Columbia Plateau Pilot Project during fiscal year 2023.
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Details
- Title
- Report to the Washington State Legislature least-conflict solar siting on the Columbia Plateau : June 2023
- Creators
- Washington State University. Extension. Energy Program
- Academic Unit
- WSU Energy Program; Publications, WSU Extension
- Series
- WSUEEP; 23-004
- Publisher
- Washington State University Extension Energy Program; Olympia, Washington
- Format
- pdf
- Identifiers
- 99901156438901842
- Copyright
- http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Report