The U.S. government has approved First Solar Inc.’s proposed $1 billion Desert Quartzite Solar Project on roughly 3,000 acres of public land in eastern Riverside County, California. The project has been under development since 2007.  The envisioned 450-MW, thin-film photovoltaic project could start operation in 2022, the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management said in a January 15 news release. However, First Solar still lacks a contract for the output of the massive facility, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data. First Solar did not immediately respond to a request for details January 16 about the project’s intended customer. While the facility would interconnect with Southern California Edison Co.’s electric system, local government-run community […]