DOI Maps: California's Solar Potential

All Solar Potential

View map of all potential solar resources on Federal lands in California's Desert District. (PDF)
Available Solar Potential

View map of available solar potential in California's Desert District. (PDF)

Videos: People and Places

Geothermal Energy - Calipatria, CA

Mark Gran, CalEnergy
Solar-Thermal Energy - Plaster City, CA

Kevin Harper, Stirling Energy
Big Morongo Canyon Preserve

Dee Zeller, on-site manager
Pipes Canyon, CA

Cherry Good, resident
Pipes Canyon, CA

Robin Maxwell and Max Thomas, residents
Pioneertown, CA

Jim Harvey, Alliance for Renewable Energy Policy

The New Gridlock: Getting Power to the People

California's remote deserts hold enormous potential for renewable power, such as solar, wind and geothermal. Now if only anybody lived there.

Radio Reports

The California Report | Monday, Mar 23, 2009, 8:50 AM

The New Gridlock, Part 2: The Puzzle

California is leading the nation in the drive toward 'clean energy.' But how do we get that energy from the remote areas where it's produced to the people that need it?

The California Report | Monday, Mar 16, 2009, 8:50 AM

The New Gridlock, Part 1: The Promise

Los Angeles may be facing a new kind of gridlock; not on the road, but on the electrical grid. Utilities racing to meet a goal of 20 percent renewable energy have sparked a 'green rush' in the remote deserts of southeastern California. But getting that clean power to population centers is tricky at best.

Multimedia Map

Click the points on the map below for more information, and video, of the people and locations featured in this radio series.

View Larger Map

Electron Superhighway

See how renewable energy could be transmitted across Southern California. Black lines represent potential routes identified by the U.S. Department of the Interior. (Gray lines are not official.)

View Full Map (PDF)