Interesting Article-Gila Bend-US Solar Future

Not Just Another Solar Deal - Why Gila Bend Could Be Pioneering The Future For U.S. Solar

A major solar farm being built in Arizona by an American developer on American land. It all adds up to a brighter future and more jobs here in the U.S.

Pacific Blue Energy Corp. (OTCBB: PBEC), announced today that the city of Gila Bend, Arizona has shown them a commitment to fast-track a 150 Megawatt solar farm on about 100 acres of land there. Claiming favorable permitting laws, and more importantly... "strong support from town officials and staff" they're going to be able to expedite the Phase 1 approvals for the project in just two to four months. This is an amazing feat considering that many solar installations of this scale can get stuck in red tape and generally sit for at least two years.

Is the U.S. finally getting serious about it's commitment to solar electricity? Maybe this is a sign that we're doing just that. Also, this underscores one of the most important things to know about solar. The fact that the value of adding more solar power to our infrastructure and creating a clean energy economy based on solar and other technologies is favored across party lines.

Yes, we still face an avalanche of problems at the Federal level, and with election cycles in the U.S. coming every two years it's difficult to get politicians to commit to something that may not sit well with their constituents or biggest donors. Still, the path is getting clearer and clearer with every new project. More and more, people from both sides of the aisle are coming together to make these projects work. Why? because they know that solar creates jobs, and solar jobs are high-paying and sustainable - and that means more people paying more taxes. . .

Of course, let's not discount the other benefits of building large scale solar power plants such as this one. The energy this plant produces can power up to 30,000 homes. That means lower electricity bills down the road, and less dependence on foreign energy right away. These two issues are of the highest importance to all voters, and this makes it important to keep improving the processes for getting renewable energy, and particularly solar, zoned, permitted, and developed. It's a sure bet for winning votes.

In a perfect world, the demand for solar and the interest in large-scale deployment in the U.S. would be driven more by awareness of the people, concern for our environment, and for long-term competitiveness with other nations who are currently winning the race to overcome the obstacles created by our dependence on fossil fuels. Nevertheless, we should see the aggressive action by Gila Bend as a sign that the end game of rapid deployment can become a reality fast, even here in the congested, political, U.S. market, regardless of the means or the motivations. It's now up to us to monitor the progress Pacific Blue is making in Gila Bend, and to hold accountable everyone who made the promise of supporting and fast-tracking this project. Indeed, every victory counts, and inevitably leads to another.

More on this, and how the U.S. is stacking up against other countries in deploying solar in a future post. Stay tuned.
-Joe Boyce


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Scott's Contracting