ARIZONA WIND BUILDING

Given the immensity of the need for New Energy, it is surprising to hear a federal official admit the federal agency in charge of moving the process along is, instead, impeding it.

Stephen Allred, assistant secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior (Interior): "We have to do better with the federal government to give access to them, to speed up the time frame, and to get transmission (lines) to them…"

It is all noble and so on of Secretary Allred to acknowledge Interior’s bureaucratic failures but does anybody over there know the numbers described by scientists about the amount of New Energy the U.S. needs to build in the coming quarter century?

In the lead post, above, MacArthur “genius” award winner Saul Griffith described what it will take to get the 11-to-14 terawatts of New Energy generation that will be needed: “You could get maybe three terawatts from all the addressable tidal power in the world…Building 100 square meters of solar panels every second for the next 25 years will get you two of the 10 terawatts…You'll need 50 square feet of solar thermal and a full wind turbine every five minutes...”

And Interior is slowing the process down with bureaucratic snafus? And they admit it?

Footnote: Many have long believed the Bush administration agencies have been foot dragging to allow Old Energy to get as much production infrastructure as possible established before a new administration unleashes the forces of New Energy.

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Ariz. wind-energy power plant moves ahead; 2 federal agencies approve land deal with developer
Ryan Randazzo, October 27, 2008 (Arizona Republic)

WHO
Iberdrola Renewables; Bureau of Land Management (BLM); Arizona State Land Department (State Land) (Commissioner Mark Winkleman); Rocking Chair Ranch (Bill Elkins, owner); U.S. Department of the Interior (Interior) (Stephen Allred, assistant secretary); Salt River Project

WHAT
The Dry Lake Wind Project signed deals with BLM and State Land and is on track to begin construction by 2009 and begin generating electricity the following year.

New transmission is being developed to spread New Energy across the region. (click to enlarge)

WHEN
- BLM received the application in summer 2007 and has just now readied it for signatures and authorization.
- 2010: First phase of Dry Lake scheduled to open.
- Proposed: A second phase would be 6 or 7 times as big.

WHERE
- Dry Lake is northwest of Snowflake, Ariz.
- Dry Lake will be Arizona’s first operational wind project.
- Salt River Project, a major Arizona utility, will purchase the electricity generated at the Dry Lake installation for its Phoenix-area customers.
- Iberdrola is based in Madrid.

WHY
- A power purchase agreement (PPA) with Salt River Project facilitated the Dry lake installation’s financing.
- BLM will earn $36,966 in leases on the project in 2009 and hopes to derive $87,255/year when the installation is in service.
- State Land’s deal with Iberdrola is based on the electricity generated. It could earn $4 million during the 50-year agreement.
- Iberdrola also has a private land lease agreement with Rocking Chair Ranch.
- The ranch’s cattle operation on public and private land in the area won't be affected by the development.
- Interior admits it can improve the speed at which renewable-energy projects get permits,
- The first phase of the Dry Lake Wind Project will be ~30 turbines with a 63-megawatt capacity.
- A proposed second phase could have as many as 200 or more turbines and a 314-megawatt capacity.

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QUOTES
Stephen Allred, assistant secretary, Interior: "[The Dry Lake Wind Project is a] totally positive approach to meeting our energy needs in the U.S."