$1B Palen Solar Project Gains Fed Approval for 500 MW PV, Side-Steps California Energy Commission
The decade-old 500 MW Palen Solar Project has finally won decisive federal approval to go ahead as an estimated $1 billion photovoltaic project in the California desert after years of controversy and varied ownership. The November 1 approval by the US Bureau of Land Management also side-steps years of regulatory consideration of the project by the California Energy Commission, when the plant was still being proposed as a solar thermal project.