Tribal Participation Results in Revised Solar Project

When initially proposed, the Palen Solar Project would have involved scraping thousands of acres of the Mojave Desert to make a perfectly level site suitable for solar thermal technology. A later iteration would have involved 700-foot solar power towers, a technology known to harm birds, bats, and insects, including those of cultural significance. Throughout these proceedings, SMW assisted the Colorado River Indian Tribes in voicing its cultural resource concerns. Due in part to the Tribes’ participation, the developer eventually shifted to solar photovoltaic in 2018, significantly reducing the Project’s potential impacts.