Solar technologies use the sun's energy and light to provide heat, light, hot water, electricity, and even cooling, for homes, businesses, and industry.
Solar resources provide less than 0.1 percent of America's total energy supply and generate less than 0.01 percent of America's electricity. Solar generates about 0.1 percent of all electricity produced from renewable resources.
About 67 percent of Federal lands in the lower 48 States, primarily in the western United States, have high potential for concentrated solar thermal energy production and approximately 74 percent have high potential for photovoltaic solar energy production.
There has been little industry interest in developing commercial solar projects on federal lands, however, agencies, such as the Bureau of Land Management, are developing policy and procedures to address requests for commercial development should commercial solar applications become economic. It is anticipated that solar facilities, like wind, will be permitted as right-of-ways.
The Department of Interior operates more than 400 solar-powered facilities and 40 solar hot-water systems in National Parks, Fish and Wildlife Refuges, and other agency lands.
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