Environment certainly wins with solar power

Gavin Berg, Berkeley, Calif.

Thursday, May 6, 2010 | 2:01 a.m.

An April 26 story in the Las Vegas Sun accurately reflects the facts about the overwhelming benefits of solar power plants versus fossil-fuel plants in regard to air quality, however the headline, “New wave of solar plants could worsen air quality,” seems to tell a different story.

It is inevitable that power projects will be developed in Nevada and the United States as demand for electricity increases and as older power plants need to be decommissioned. These power projects will be either traditional fossil-fuel plants or renewable energy projects. As was correctly reported, there is a significant difference.

Our company, Solar Millennium, proposes to develop, build and operate the Amargosa Solar Power Project, a two-unit generating facility, each with a net capacity of 232 megawatts, capable of producing clean, renewable energy sufficient for 150,000 Nevada households.

Our plants would produce about 4.9 pounds of carbon monoxide per megawatt hour of electricity produced, compared with 822 pounds for a natural gas plant; emit about 15 tons of nitrogen oxide a year, versus 100 tons for a natural gas plant; and generate only 6.5 percent of the particulates of a natural gas plant.

According to the Bureau of Land Management’s recently released draft environmental impact statement for the Amargosa Solar Power Project, the project is “not considered a major stationary source with potential to cause significant air quality impacts.”

We appreciate the support of our neighbors in the Amargosa Valley, who are looking forward to up to 1,300 jobs that will be created during construction in addition to approximately 180 full-time operating jobs.

As a world leader in proven solar technology, Solar Millennium is proud to do its part to put Nevadans back to work, to help build a world-class renewable industry and to lessen America’s dependence on foreign oil. We are also committed to proactively addressing environmental issues and concerns.

The writer is senior director of project development for Solar Millennium.