Solar Thermal Power

Gov. Brown, a former AG who filed many lawsuits to protect the environment, sided with a renewable energy producer in a lawsuit to stop a huge solar thermal power project in the Mojave Desert on behalf of the threatened desert tortoise.

"Nine projects in California are making their way through the Bureau of Land Management's fast-track program which, if completed, will bring over 4,500 megawatts worth of generating capacity onto the grid."

BrightSource Energy wants to build three solar thermal plants in San Bernardino County, California which would produce 392 megawatts of electricity. A state energy commissioner released a 576-page report that approves of the plan.

This week, eSolar debuted the first solar thermal power tower in the U.S., which they say is a step forward in technology and affordability.