Sponsor
Funding was provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Drivers of Environmental Impacts of Energy Transitions in Underserved Communities Award # 84055601-0; and National Science Foundation (NSF) Human–Environment and Geographical Sciences Program Award # 2215409. This publication was developed under Assistance Agreement EPA STAR Grant RD-84055601 awarded by the US Environmental Protection Agency to Alida Cantor, Kate Berry, James Blair, and Dustin Mulvaney.
Published In
Sustainability Science
Document Type
Pre-Print
Publication Date
6-4-2025
Subjects
Environmental justice research
Abstract
California's Imperial Valley, with lithium-rich geothermal brines, extensive flat agricultural fields with abundant desert sunshine, and access to transmission lines, is a leading case to explore interconnected themes around just energy transitions. Despite being the poorest county in California and one of the smallest, Imperial already provides 15% of the state’s solar electricity, and the region as a whole represents on the order of 25% of the state’s electric power capacity. This paper brings to light frictions over solar energy development that have emerged over the history of solar power development in the southern Salton Sea region. It describes the history of solar development in the county and contextualizes in the broader hydrosocial territory and political economy, including how energy development patterns in the region are connected to regional and global energy markets. The analysis is based on analysis of media and news articles, public comments to official proceedings, hearings to environmental review or similar processes, and interviews, and involves a case study tracked closely since 2008. The findings show how social resistance to solar projects can result in better land use outcomes, but also points to different types of hydrosocial reconfigurations and environmental justice issues facing rural communities within and beyond the region. In the arid western United States, solar energy development is mediated by disputes over of Colorado River water, tribal sovereignty and cultural resources, raising questions about how new enterprises can finance ecological restoration of the degraded Salton Sea.
Rights
© Copyright the author(s) 2025
Locate the Document
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-025-01698-4
DOI
10.1007/s11625-025-01698-4
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/43957
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Citation Details
Published as: Mulvaney, D., Blair, J. J. A., & Cantor, A. (2025). Sunrise at the Salton Sea: environmental justice, land use change, and hydrosocial dynamics of solar energy transitions in the Imperial Valley, California. Sustainability Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-025-01698-4
Description
Pre print:
This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published as:
Mulvaney, D., Blair, J. J. A., & Cantor, A. (2025). Sunrise at the Salton Sea: environmental justice, land use change, and hydrosocial dynamics of solar energy transitions in the Imperial Valley, California. Sustainability Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-025-01698-4