Letter: Why is RMP's solar project so ..

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Rocky Mountain Power should be commended for proposing to build its first solar power farm in Utah ("Rocky Mountain Power to build first solar farm in Utah," Tribune, March 26). But one has to wonder why such a paltry footprint? Two megawatts of power? Enough to power 500 homes? With over 250 days of sunshine on average in Utah? Seriously?

Others think that Utah is a great place to tap the sun. As was noted, a Provo-based company is planning to build a plant that will provide 150 times the power to over 80,000 homes … located in California. Also noted in the article, Utah is dead last in the lower 48 Western states in renewable electricity installations while 48 percent of its citizens want solar and wind power.

What is not clear is why. When PacifiCorp (parent company of Rocky Mountain Power) is the No. 1 air polluters in the Western U.S., why are our legislators not demanding that RMP invest more in renewables?

Why, when you read almost daily of more dire climate change predictions, does our leadership continue to embrace dirty energy like coal, gas, tar sands and oil shale? Maybe its time for those 48 percent to start voting differently.

Jeff Clay

Salt Lake City

Letter: Why is RMP's solar project so small?