The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) has released the “Salton Sea Revenue Potential Study” which estimates that
development of renewable energy in the Salton Sea area could generated
$4 billion in revenues for Salton Sea restoration over a 30 year period.
The study considered revenue potential from development of geothermal,
solar and biofuels, as well as other revenue sources. Geothermal
development alone could produce two gigawatts of power.
The once vibrant Salton Sea ecosystem is under increasing stress from a
number of factors, including water transfers to costal
California. State and local governments are committed to restoring the
Sea, but have yet to identify a feasible funding source. The Salton Sea
Authority, a joint governmental agency that includes IID, is currently
undertaking a feasibility and funding study in conjunction the State of
California to determine potential revenue streams. The Authority is in
discussions with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to
review and augment the IID study using NREL expertise in long term
development and marketing of renewables in the western United
States. NREL recently concluded its own study entitled “Beyond
Renewable Portfolio Standards: An Assessment of Regional Supply and
Demand Conditions Affecting the Future of Renewable Energy in the West.”
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