Riverside County could soon be getting its fifth massive solar farm. The 500-megawatt Palen solar project would be between Interstate 10 and Joshua Tree National Park.
Palen’s developer, San Diego-based EDF Renewable Energy, has signed a contract to sell the electricity to Southern California Edison. The California Public Utilities Commission is likely to approve that contract later this month. The developer must also wait for Riverside County and the federal Bureau of Land Management to conduct an environmental review.
Like many solar plants in the desert, Palen has faced pushback from conservationists and tribal groups, who say the facility would harm fragile ecosystems, destroy Native American artifacts, and negatively impact Joshua Tree National Park, just eight miles from the project site.
