Joshua Tree and Mojave Go Solar

This case study describes two of the many projects in which the Department of the Interior's National Park Service works with private contractors and other agencies, such as the Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), to replace fossil-fuel-powered diesel generators with renewable energy systems in the nation's parks. This is done to reduce the greenhouse-gas emissions,such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides, associated with using fossil fuels to generate electric power in remote areas of the parks. Two solar electric (photovoltaic) systems were installed in Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve in southern California, and more are planned. The systems are cleaner and less noisy than the old generators they replaced; they are connected tostorage batteries and backed up by new propane generators in case of a prolonged period without sunlight.