Solar Energy

WEST’s environmental planning and permitting staff support the entire life cycle of solar projects, including site selection, baseline surveys, permitting, pre-construction, restoration, and post-construction monitoring. Our past work has included the design and analysis of avian use and fatality studies to understand potential solar project impacts, big game migration planning and mitigation, eagle nest disturbance studies and permitting, and biodiversity management plan development.  

In addition to our standard environmental permitting and planning services, we have been engaged in cutting-edge research to resolve complex natural resource issues facing the solar industry. Our past work has included eagle disturbance permits, the design and analysis of avian use studies to estimate potential impacts at proposed solar photovoltaic facilities, and the development of post-construction monitoring studies, where appropriate and required, to estimate wildlife impacts at solar energy facilities. Our team also brings extensive experience supporting vegetation management and restoration plans at solar facilities, including establishing sustainability goals, overseeing restoration activities, and verifying ecological targets.

Services

  • Wetland, Botanical, and Wildlife Field Surveys
  • Protected Species Expertise
  • Environmental and Land Use Permitting
  • Site Restoration and Vegetation Management
  • Environmental Construction Monitoring
  • Post-Construction Natural Resource Studies
  • Habitat Conservation Plans and Natural Resources Strategies
  • Best Management Practice and Adaptive Management Planning

Publications

Aquatic Habitat Bird Occurrences at Photovoltaic Solar Energy Development in Southern California, USA
Karl Kosicuch, Daniel Riser-Espinoza, Cyrus Moqtaderi, and Wallace P. Erickson
2021

A summary of bird mortality at photovoltaic utility scale solar facilities in the Southwestern U.S.
Karl Kosicuch, Daniel Riser-Espinoza, Michael Gerringer, and Wallace P. Erickson
2020

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