San Bernardino County looking at solar, wind proposals
San Bernardino County is seeking to create renewable energy projects on county landfills.
County officials are hoping solar or wind energy will help provide another source of revenue while also meeting state goals to increase the use of renewable energy.
The county is soliciting proposals from qualified contractors who would be responsible for building and maintaining the projects on one of its 37 properties that are part of the solid waste department.
An information meeting for contractors will be held Jan. 6 with proposals due Jan. 20, said Granville Bowman, county public works director.
The county would decide which proposals to pursue after reviewing the applications.
Potential bidders are expected to have experience with renewable energy, having completed at least one, provide a financial plan and timeline for construction, and take responsibility for getting the necessary environmental clearances.
A March 2008 study commissioned by the county found significant potential for large-scale and smaller-scale solar, wind and biomass energy projects at several county sites.
The county has some of the “highest solar potential” in the country, mostly up in the High Desert, where high temperatures create enough solar radiation to power such projects, according to the study.
In the San Bernardino Valley and surrounding mountains, the area has enough high sustained wind speeds to also make wind projects promising, the study found. Lastly, landfills already produce biomass energy, commonly made up of dead trees and other forest residue that generate heat.
The report identifies nine sites that have enough land and are near power transmission lines that would make it easy to connect to a commercial grid.
Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, who represents the High Desert, said he looks forward to seeing what kind of projects will be proposed.
“I think this is a really good opportunity to see if we could find multiple uses for these assets,” he said.
By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise
19 December 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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