U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar recently announced the approval of three major renewable energy projects that, when built, are expected to deliver 1,100 MW to the grid—enough to power more than 340,000 homes—and help support more than 1,000 jobs through construction and operations. The 750-MW McCoy Solar Energy Project and 150-MW Desert Harvest Solar Farm are both located in California’s Riverside East Solar Energy Zone, an area established through the Western Solar Energy Plan as most suitable for solar development. The 200-MW Searchlight Wind Energy Project will be constructed on public lands in Clark County, Nev.

“These renewable energy projects reflect the Obama Administration’s commitment to expand domestic energy production on our public lands and diversify our nation's energy portfolio,” Salazar said. “In just over four years, we have advanced 37 wind, solar and geothermal projects on our public lands—or enough to power more than 3.8 million American homes. These projects are bolstering rural economies by generating good jobs and reliable power, and strengthening our national energy security.”