The demand for solar power in the United States is higher than ever. To meet growing demand, BrightSource Energy aimed to build what would be one of the world’s largest solar energy plants at that time.

The scale of this 377-megawatt plant required 4,500 acres, all located on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in southern California’s Ivanpah Valley. While it may be hard to imagine that this harsh desert landscape provides important wildlife habitat, the valley is home to the desert tortoise, an endangered species at both the state and federal levels. BrightSource turned to The Conservation Fund when it needed help finding solutions to minimize the solar energy plant’s impact on desert tortoises.

We engaged early with the company as well as with federal land and resource management agencies to identify potential solutions for effectively offsetting impacts to desert tortoise habitat. Together with the BLM, we identified grazing lands that provided important desert tortoise habitat in the immediate vicinity of the BrightSource project. We planned and executed a program to purchase and retire grazing rights on BLM land on behalf of BrightSource.

Outcome Highlights

Conservation

We were able to permanently protect more than 120,000 acres of desert tortoise habitat using mitigation funds provided by BrightSource.

Economic

California generates enough solar energy to power over 4.7 million homes, more than any other state. The electricity generated by the plants in the Ivanpah complex serves more than 140,000 homes in California during peak daytime hours.