"Solar energy may be clean and green, but it requires electrical transmission lines, uses water and takes up land that provides habitat for plants and animals" according to a story in the Arizona Daily Star on the BLM hearing about solar energy projects on public lands.
Adding up all the projects proposed for Arizona solar projects brings the total to 359,454 acres just on BLM lands. This is raising environmental concerns here and across the West that are just starting to be addressed by BLM and others.
The largest solar project, Solana Generating Station near Gila Bend, is entirely on private lands. It will be built by Spanish company Abengoa for Arizona Public Service. According to an article in the new issue of Civil Engineering magazine, Solana will cover about 3 square miles, making it larger than the combined area of all other solar plants in the U.S.