Discovery News > Earth News > Wide Angle: Green Energy Gone Wild

Wide Angle: Green Energy Gone Wild

In the rush to fight global warming with "green" energy, there are some big problems cropping up. One that's gathering more steam is the matter of where to build big solar and wind generation plants. Should they be on remote, easy-to-lease federal lands so we can get green energy fast? Or is it wiser to build on unused agricultural lands closer to cities and even distribute power generation among tens of thousands of urban and suburban rooftops -- right where the power is needed? The case we look at here is the proposed 5,000-acre Ivanpah Valley solar plant in the Mojave Desert of southeastern California.