Little Utah has all the Solar Potential to Care for it's Own

   Little Utah, all by itself, if it were to exert the effort, could provide all the electricity needed for the entire country.

   And, it could do it with solar energy, alone.

   Yes, take this state's solar capacity not for granted. It ranks as one of the top 10 states for most sunny days. It has been listed as one of seven states with the best potential for solar. The Bureau of Land Management once identified 17 "solar energy zones" in the U.S. -- areas with the best potential for solar energy creation.

   And, Utah had three on the list. Yes, three of the best solar energy areas in all the U.S. were right here in Utah (one in the Escalante Valley, one in Milford Flats, and one in the Wah Wah Valley in Beaver and Millard Counties).

   There are no less than 18 million acres of BLM land in Utah that are available for solar panels -- with another 1.9 million with variances. 

   Think solar. And think how Utah could be a leader in turning the nation green.

   The state has already taken some relatively small steps. There are the solar farms in the Spanish Fork and Mona areas that the Utah Municipal Power Agency has. There are the farms rPlus Energies has developed and is developing. Appaloosa Solar 1 commenced construction in Iron County in November. The Graphite Solar project in Carbon County is also under construction. There's already a solar farm in Wellington. And, the Three Peaks project in Iron County that opened in 2016. 

   Then, there's what is being hailed as the largest solar project to come to Utah, the Green River Energy Center in Emery County. It will come with a battery storage facility. Seems some people think solar energy can only be used from sun up to sunset, but batteries provide an extension that carries through the night.

   Cove Mountain Solar in Iron County, provider for Facebook's Eagle Mountain center, is currently the largest solar farm in Utah.

   That list probably isn't complete; I'm sure there are other solar farm projects I'm just not aware of.  

   No, Utah's grand solar potential is not going to actually provide all the electricity needed for the full of America. But, if we tried hard enough, we could certainly provide enough for our own, and still have plenty to export to California and other states. 

(Index -- Climate change info)