While there is certainly likely to be some conflict around solar siting this year it is also true that a lot of progress has been made in the last two years to figure out how to do this right. Renewable energy developers have been and continue to work with the environmental community to resolve siting issues, and while the tension is significant over so-called "fast track" projects (projects that qualify for stimulus grants from the US Government)the picture is becoming far clearer for longer term planning. The federal and state governments are collaborating on habitat conservation planning at the landscape level (the California Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan and the Bureau of Land Management's solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement) which will, when completed, allow for far more rapid approval of appropriately sited projects. In addition, we are beginning to see projects sited on privately owned and disturbed lands like retired farmlands in the Westlands Water District and in southern Kern County, and on less ecologically sensitive lands in the Owens Valley. This is a very positive development that could lead to the approval of projects resulting in gigawatts of renewable energy generation in a relatively short time frame (two-three years). Project approvals should go faster for projects located on such sites as they have fewer environmental impacts and a lighter and easier to address mitigation burden.

Finally, transmission development for solar, wind and geothermal energy projects is taking a major step forward this year as the California Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative concludes its work and the California Independent System Operator and Public Utility Commission advance transmission solutions to help the state meet its ambitious greenhouse gas emissions goals and renewable electricity standards. This result will accelerate interest in and progress on renewable energy development by reducing and gradually eliminating one of the top obstacles to the development of remotely constrained renewable energy sources

So while there will likely be some high profile conflicts in 2010, the outlook for noncontroversial (or much less controversial) renewable energy development over the next half-decade is very good. Investors will hold the key. If they see that these developments are pointing in the right direction and hang in there, the transition of our economy to low carbon resources will begin to pick up momentum.

Shaping up to be an epic battle! Hopefully the two sides work things out. We need both types to deal with our energy issues.