Dive Brief:

• BrightSource and Abengoa will have more time to defend their 500-MW Palen solar project under a recent decision by the California Energy Commission (CEC).
• CEC staff is recommending that the commission deny a permit for the proposed Palen project, mainly over concerns about how the project could harm birds. A key meeting on the recommendation had been scheduled for January 7, but at the developers' request, the CEC approved delaying the meeting.
• The delay gives BrightSource and Abengoa time to collect data from a nearby solar project that is already operating.

Dive Insight:

It is incredibly hard to build large infrastructure projects in California, which has extensive rules and regulatory procedures designed to protect the environment. Several of the proposals for large solar projects in the state have been scaled back, delayed and canceled. Even so, others are moving ahead and are helping shift the generating profile of the West.