Let the (prison) sunshine in

At California's green bleeding edge: Solar powered penitentiaries

Published May 28, 2008 11:44PM (EDT)

The prisoners might not get rehabilitated, but hey, who cares? At least the prisons will be environmentally sustainable!

Reuters is reporting that on Wednesday, the Ironwood State Prison located near the Sonoran desert town of Blythe, California will roll out 1.18 megawatt solar power plant estimated capable of providing "a quarter of the facility's needs."

Harry Franey, chief of the Energy Management and Sustainability Section of the state's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, provides Reuters with some context:

With their expansive properties and locations far into the California desert, many of the state's prisons are ideal sites for ground-mounted solar power plants, Franey said.

"We have the luxury of having room, where some state agencies probably don't," he said...

And more penitentiary power is on the way!

"This is kind of the tip of the iceberg," he said. "Because we are a prison system we tend not to advertise these things, but God knows we need the good press."


By Andrew Leonard

Andrew Leonard is a staff writer at Salon. On Twitter, @koxinga21.

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