14 DAY TRIAL // The American government has recently decided to approve two giant projects involving renewables, developed on public land, in an attempt to green up the US and reduce its oil and coal dependency.
The first project relies on the benefits of clean solar power and will be implemented in Arizona, while the second one, the 186MW Tule Wind Project is ready to highlight the advantages offered by wind power, on a site located 70 miles far from San Diego, Business Green informs.
The 300 MV Sonoran Solar Energy Project will be built in Arizona's Maricopa County and it is considered the first PV plant developed on such a large scale in Arizona.
Once completed and working at its entire capacity, it will provide enough energy for 90,000 homes, even though the facility will occupy a smaller surface than initially established, only 2,013 acres, compared to 3,620 acres, according to Huffington Post.
Moreover, the Arizona site is the natural habitat of several species, like the burrowing owls, that will have to be relocated to other lands.
Authorities will have to deal with this problem as soon as possible, before giving the green light to the construction work.
All in all, the two new projects will help create 700 jobs and offer enough energy to power 150,000 average households.
Moreover, both sites are considered a major step towards a “ renewable revolution” since they will produce almost as much energy as 18 coal-burning power plants.
"We have made steady and swift progress in carrying out President Obama's initiative for a rapid and responsible move to large-scale production of renewable energy on public land," stated the US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.
He also revealed that the sector of alternative energy had been under the spotlight for the last two years, since 25 major solar, wind and geothermal projects had been developed so far, generating clean energy and employing hundreds of people.