SUNRISE FOR SUNRISE WIRES

Schwarzenegger praises Sunrise Powerlink transmission line groundbreaking
Tiffany Hsu, December 9, 2010 (LA Times)

"The Sunrise Powerlink transmission line finally broke ground…as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and more than 100 protesters looked on…Wind turbines spun lazily in the background as Schwarzenegger told the crowd that the project did his ego proud.

"By helping to link distant wind, solar and geothermal plants to Southern California communities, Sunrise Powerlink was helping California ‘beat the Chinese’ in the alternative energy game, he said…[The project] has spent more than five years struggling through permitting and legal challenges."

The new transamission will deliver sunpower from California's deserts to the growing San Diego metropolis. (click to enlarge)

"…[I]n a nod to the gathered protesters, he acknowledged that energy conservation was also important, as are efforts to promote distributed solar projects that would blanket warehouse rooftops with panels…Existing power lines, however, are [antiquated and inadequate]…"

[Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger:] “I have fought and fought and fought for this…You could have all the renewable energy in the world. But if you don’t have the transmission lines, you have nothing...You have to think about the economic growth, the jobs, the impact [Sunrise Powerlink] will have on the dependence on foreign oil…”