Iconic Joshua trees bulldozed and replaced by a solar farm? (I still haven’t found what I’m looking for)

Photo above - cover shot from U2's Iconic "Joshua Tree" album (1987). It is not known if this specific tree was among the fatalities of Estuary Power, ("a woman owned company") based in Reno Nevada.

WTH . . . ? They're bulldozing thousand year old Joshua trees in Nevada? To make way for solar panels with a 25 year lifespan? This sounds perfectly sane, right? Sign me up, since this is certain to save the planet. And while you're at it, sign me up for a giant tax subsidy on my EV, a policy which is contributing to our energy shortage. Let's also remember that EV subsidies exist to save the auto industry, not the planet.

Sometimes it seems like there are no good options. But in this case there are. If you had a choice between killing trees which were fully grown even before the time of Christopher Columbus, or putting solar on rooftops, which one would you greenlight? Before you answer, please understand that there are 1.3 million homes in Nevada, and more than half of are owner- occupied. There are 100,000 detached single family homes in Las Vegas alone. Most of these do NOT have rooftop solar panels, of course.

How many acres were bulldozed to make room for the solar panels? Around 900 (see link below). If a wildfire destroyed 900 acres of pristine forest, it would be national news. There would be government hearings. In the case of the bulldozed Joshua trees, there are government subsidies instead.

How much electricity will these 900 acres of solar panels generate? About 12,000 KWH per acre each day, if the sun is shining. The whole 900 acres will be enough to power (wait for it) . . . 3,000 to 5,000 homes. Let’s drill down on that. Rooftop solar on just 5,000 homes would have been more electricity than what the destruction of these 900 acres could ever provide.

Local residents are said to be outraged. Probably because they were caught off guard by closed door government hearings approving this bizarre scheme.

This what happens when you have bureaucrats who reject the idea that “in the kingdom come, all the colors will bleed into one”. The future is now – solar panels!

I’m just sayin’ . . .

Nevada residents outraged after famed Joshua trees are bulldozed to make way for solar farm | The Independent

How Many Solar Panels Can Fit on One Acre of Land?