The California Energy Commission is seeking proposals from private entities, including non-profit organizations and private universities, to help reduce the environmental impacts of solar energy projects in California, particularly with respect to biological impacts in the California desert. Although public entities, such as national laboratories and public universities, cannot apply to this grant solicitation, they can participate as subcontractors to private-entity applicants. This competitive grant solicitation is sponsored by the California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Energy-Related Environmental Program to investigate one or more of the following:
A. Innovative mitigation strategies other than land acquisition that would effectively offset the negative impacts of California solar energy development on special-status species and sensitive plant communities; and/or rigorous validation of and/or improvements to frequently recommended mitigation measures (for example, habitat restoration, fencing).
B. New or enhanced habitat suitability models that help to: predict the distribution of special-status plants and animals and sensitive plant communities within the Mojave and Colorado Desert regions; evaluate the impact of solar energy technologies, plant designs, and/or solar project site selection on special-status plants and animals and sensitive plant communities; and provide planning tools to assist in the siting, design, permitting, and mitigation of solar energy projects.
C. An improved impact assessment on species abundance and viability of relocating desert tortoise and/or other special-status plants and animals away from solar energy sites using currently established protocols; and/or develop improved protocols for relocation.
D. Numerical thresholds for viability of listed species populations (i.e., minimum viable population size) in regions within the Mojave and Colorado Desert regions targeted for utility scale solar energy development.
E. New or improved framework for conducting cumulative impacts analysis of solar energy development on sensitive biological resources.
For more information on this grant solicitation and how to apply, visit http://www.energy.ca.gov/contracts/pier.html#PON-09-007 .
Stage 1 proposals are due March 3, 2010, and a pre-proposal workshop will be held on January 28, 2010.