Keeping Green From Being Mean

By: Bailey Johnson

The need for speed

How would you feel if your home and everything you need to survive was destroyed and
taken by over-sized invaders and you had no means to stop them? This is a possibility for five
rare and listed species with ranges that overlap with many other sensitive species. In order to
meet 2015 Senate Bill (SB 350), growth of solar farming as an industry will undoubtedly
increase. Large-scale solar energy facilities will need to be built while also safeguarding high to
moderate-quality habitat for rare and listed species in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV). SB 350 was
put into action to increase economic reliability on sources of green, renewable energy. By 2026,
fifty-percent of energy must come from renewable sources, which is in just six short years. We
will need to take into account the habitat suitability for rare and endangered species with the
rapid development of solar facilities soon to take place. There are currently about 8,000 km2 of
low-quality habitat that have high potential for solar development. Insolation, which is defined
as having heightened exposure to the sun's rays would be the most energetically efficient and it
would also be much easier and more accessible to build these solar farms on flat land. In comes
the SJV, where the demand can be met in ways that help to prevent the extinction of endangered
species by building on low-quality, rare species habitat and providing a corridor in which these
species can travel through. There is going to be an accelerated response to develop large scale
solar farms which are insolation efficient and can meet the demands of SB 350.

Figure 1. Ivanpah solar energy facility. Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/103707855@N05/16487460430

 Why is the San Joaquin Valley so high in demand for green
development?

The San Joaquin Valley extends

Figure 2. Historical San Joaquin Valley. Source: http://www.tws-
west.org/westernwildlife/vol6/Phillips_Cypher_WW_2019.pdf, page 33.
400 miles from Northern California down to
Southern California and it is near 75 miles
wide. SJV is low in elevation and is
surrounded by mountain ranges and coastal
communities. Historically, the valley was
flooded with ocean water, allowing
sediments to deposit and fertilize the
mineral-rich soils, making this land very
attractive for irrigated agriculture and
human development. What was once
historical prairie habitat; home to endemic,
rare, federally, and state-listed species have
been displaced by the fact that 70% of what
was once their historic range has been
converted into agriculture and human use. If
you have never been to the SJV it is often
characterized by being flat, and arid which
are two conditions perfect for constructing
large-scale solar farms. Urban areas in the
region continue to grow along with our
statewide demand to meet the need for more
renewable energy resources.

The method to the madness

Authors Phillips and Cypher developed a GIS-based modeling (geographic information

system) approach to find areas that had a high probability of solar and urban along with places
that contained high to moderate quality habitat for listed and rare species. Next, they looked at
areas that were not only attractive for solar farming but also had poor-quality habitat for listed
species. By developing on lands with poor quality habitat it would not only ease any harmful
effects for rare species but also create wildlife bridges between the areas of high quality and
developed habitat. Green energy sources are a good alternative for fighting against climate
change because it offers a solution for not using fossil fuels. Fossil fuels can induce climate
change by burning ancient plant biomass, which then release carbon dioxide, CO2, into our
atmosphere which then gets trapped by our ozone. If we're not careful about where we build
these utility-scale facilities then it could have a serious impact on sensitive species. There were
5 species chosen to be modeled after; blunt-nosed leopard lizard, San Joaquin kit fox, San
Joaquin Antelope squirrel, Giant kangaroo rat, and the San Joaquin kangaroo rat. These species
have ranges and habitat requirements that coincided with other rare species so findings were not
just to the five species in question but rather a wider proportion of the species of concern in the
SJV.

The grass really is greener on the other side

The good news is that there’s an area found by this modeling approach to be suitable for
these proposed solar farm facilities is just west of Fresno County in the Westland's Water
District. Due to high salinity in soils and already degraded habitat, it might actually benefit the
habitat by providing wildlife corridors for listed species. In previous studies, at the Topaz Solar
Farm location in NE San Luis Obispo County, there were documented sightings of San Joaquin
kit fox populations persisting through construction and after construction was completed actively
reproducing populations were observed. Green energy doesn't have to be mean as long as we're
making sure that we're building on poor quality habitat that would not support populations
anyway. Perhaps, by building on poor quality habitat zones we can also provide green bridges so
that listed species may travel around or through these facilities from one high-quality habitat to
the next.

Figure 3. Wildflower bloom (high-quality habitat) in the Central valley.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marc_cooper/25546095485
References

Phillips, Scott E, and Brian L Cypher. “Solar Energy Development and Endangered Species in
the San Joaquin Valley, California: Identification of Conflict Zone.” Solar Energy
Development and Endangered Species in the San Joaquin Valley, California: Identification
of Conflict Zone, vol. 6, 4 Aug. 2019, pp. 29–44., www.tws-
west.org/westernwildlife/vol6/WW_Volume6.pdf#page=32.