Rene Peralta's Solar Farm Proposal on the Tijuana River

Rene Peralta, Woodbury University San Diego faculty member, presented a paper titled “Tijuana Solar River: Ecological Restoration Along the Border” at the Urban Affairs Association (UAA) 46th Annual Conference in San Diego this March. Peralta’s paper explored an ecological revitalization plan for the cross-border river zone in the Tijuana-San Diego metropolis. His panel organized by Dr. Larry Herzog addressed the question of urban planning across borders at different scales, from micro to macro.

Peralta’s proposal for a solar farm on the Tijuana River attracted the interest of Los Angeles Times reporter Carolina A. Miranda, who talked to Peralta for her article. In her piece, which was published on March 21, 2016, Miranda points out the benefits of such a proposal which could also be considered for the L.A. river.

Peralta teamed with urban planner Jim Bliesner of the Center for Urban Economics and Design at UC San Diego to develop their solar farm proposal. According to the L.A Times article, the plan would involve straddling panels over the arroyo for the river’s nearly 11-mile course. Peralta is quoted in Miranda’s piece as follows, “The river runs from east to west, so its northern wall is facing south, exactly where the sun is running. You could turn that site into an energy producing factory.”

To read the full L.A. Times article, click here.