How does solar energy development affect plants & wildlife?
Future site of the Gemini Solar Project northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada in the Mojave Desert
The United States is developing renewable energy resources, especially solar, at a rapid rate. Although renewable energy development is widely perceived by the public as “green technology,” construction, operation, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of facilities all have known and potential negative impacts to natural resources, including plant communities and wildlife. This is especially true in the fragile ecosystems of the Desert Southwest where large-scale solar energy development is occurring. Research on the effects of utility-scale solar energy facilities is necessary to maximize the societal benefits of renewable energy while minimizing negative effects on the environment. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are conducting research to help address the renewable energy information needs of resource managers like the Bureau of Land Management.
Largest US Solar Project
The Gemini Solar Project (https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-approves-plan-largest-solar-project-us-history) is located on Bureau of Land Management land in the northeastern portion of the Mojave Desert; approximately 25 miles northeast of the Las Vegas metropolitan area, in an unincorporated area of Clark County, Nevada. This Project would be the largest in US history (eighth-largest in the world) and includes the construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of a 690-megawatt (MW) alternating current (MWac) photovoltaic (PV) solar project and ancillary facilities. Project components include onsite facilities, offsite facilities, and temporary facilities needed during Project construction. The major onsite facilities are comprised of solar array blocks, substations, and operations and maintenance facilities. Electricity generated by the Project would serve Nevada Energy (440-MWac) and California delivery (250-MWac). Other project planning information can be found at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/nepa/100498/173998/211417/Gemini_Revised_POD_.pdf.
Plant and Animal Monitoring
Scientists at the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center will be conducting vegetation monitoring to document changes in vegetation that occur on the Gemini Solar Project site before and after construction and site maintenance, which includes vegetation being mowed and/or crushed under and between solar panels, and occasionally trimmed to prevent shading of solar panels. The monitoring includes documenting impacts to native plant species, including the endangered threecorner milkvetch (Astragalus geyeri var. triquetrus), and the abundance of invasive non-native plant species. The monitoring will incorporate changes to the physical condition of the site, including soil erosion, dust emission, temperature, and soil moisture. The Gemini Solar Project is translocating threatened Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) before construction, and reintroducing tortoise to the site after construction is complete. Vegetation monitoring will inform habitat suitability upon reintroduction.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Desert Tortoise Ecology and Renewable Energy Development
RAMPS: Restoration Assessment & Monitoring Program for the Southwest
Turtle Ecology
Desert Tortoise Ecology
The United States is developing renewable energy resources, especially solar, at a rapid rate. Although renewable energy development is widely perceived by the public as “green technology,” construction, operation, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of facilities all have known and potential negative impacts to natural resources, including plant communities and wildlife. This is especially true in the fragile ecosystems of the Desert Southwest where large-scale solar energy development is occurring. Research on the effects of utility-scale solar energy facilities is necessary to maximize the societal benefits of renewable energy while minimizing negative effects on the environment. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are conducting research to help address the renewable energy information needs of resource managers like the Bureau of Land Management.
Largest US Solar Project
The Gemini Solar Project (https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-approves-plan-largest-solar-project-us-history) is located on Bureau of Land Management land in the northeastern portion of the Mojave Desert; approximately 25 miles northeast of the Las Vegas metropolitan area, in an unincorporated area of Clark County, Nevada. This Project would be the largest in US history (eighth-largest in the world) and includes the construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of a 690-megawatt (MW) alternating current (MWac) photovoltaic (PV) solar project and ancillary facilities. Project components include onsite facilities, offsite facilities, and temporary facilities needed during Project construction. The major onsite facilities are comprised of solar array blocks, substations, and operations and maintenance facilities. Electricity generated by the Project would serve Nevada Energy (440-MWac) and California delivery (250-MWac). Other project planning information can be found at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/nepa/100498/173998/211417/Gemini_Revised_POD_.pdf.
Plant and Animal Monitoring
Scientists at the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center will be conducting vegetation monitoring to document changes in vegetation that occur on the Gemini Solar Project site before and after construction and site maintenance, which includes vegetation being mowed and/or crushed under and between solar panels, and occasionally trimmed to prevent shading of solar panels. The monitoring includes documenting impacts to native plant species, including the endangered threecorner milkvetch (Astragalus geyeri var. triquetrus), and the abundance of invasive non-native plant species. The monitoring will incorporate changes to the physical condition of the site, including soil erosion, dust emission, temperature, and soil moisture. The Gemini Solar Project is translocating threatened Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) before construction, and reintroducing tortoise to the site after construction is complete. Vegetation monitoring will inform habitat suitability upon reintroduction.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.