The Nature Conservancy seeks to create a path for achieving California’s ambitious clean energy and climate goals that does not needlessly sacrifice on-the-ground conservation goals. California, the sixth largest economy in the world, is a global leader in transitioning to a low carbon economy and clean energy future. This leadership requires tremendous investments in the development of renewable energy over the next several decades. A significant amount of this development can happen within the built environment, such as on commercial and residential rooftops, parking lots, brownfields in urban areas. However, the amount of renewable energy required to meet California’s climate goals will require some large facilities that will convert hundreds of thousands of acres of land to renewable energy facilities, shaping California’s iconic landscapes.
By incorporating ecological information upfront in the planning and development of renewable energy, it is possible to reduce conflicts over the siting of renewable energy , protect wildlife habitat, and accelerate attainment of California’s climate goals.
The Nature Conservancy provides science, policy recommendations, and place-based expertise to create approaches for renewable energy development that avoid impacts to ecologically important lands and waters, resulting in a protected network of lands that allow nature to thrive. We work in partnership with state and federal agencies, local communities, renewable energy developers, electricity buyers and other environmental NGOs to influence the plans, policies and market forces that drive on-the-ground development. Our focus is on meeting both land protection goals and climate goals. If done right, using science and a landscape-scale approach, the push for renewable energy is not only a force that is needed for climate, but a force that can drive land protection.
This gallery includes science and data produced to support a vision for California’s transition to clean energy, and includes studies of energy landscapes at the statewide and regional scale that can inform planning and procurement decisions for renewable energy development. Click on one of the Case Studies/Guides at the top of the Gallery to learn more about the
Mojave,
San Joaquin Valley or
California assessments and how they've been used to advance clean and green energy. To learn more about our approach, please visit
"California's Renewable Energy Landscapes" Story Map.