The West, particularly Nevada, would seem to be the perfect place to focus the nation's renewable energy effort given the wide open spaces and abundance of solar, wind and geothermal resources. But one of the difficulties developers have run into is that much of the land is federally owned and energy plants can pose a problem.Although developments are typically planned for sites overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, energy projects can cause problems for another federal landowner — the military. Wind turbines, for example, can create problems for radar, affecting military training.

This has created a dilemma for the Defense Department, said Dorothy Robyn, deputy undersecretary of defense for installations. In testimony before a congressional committee in June, Robyn said the military "must maintain the capabilities needed to defend the nation, including our surveillance network and our irreplaceable test and training ranges."

But, she added, "At the same time, the department strongly supports the development of renewable energy and is a recognized leader in the use of solar, geothermal, wind and other renewable sources."

The Defense Department has been trying to find ways to make things work, especially in the West, where there are critical installations used for testing and training, including immense ranges in California and Nevada.

As The New York Times reported Thursday, the military has opposed plans to put more wind turbine projects in some areas of the Mojave Desert in California because they cause problems for radar. Clusters of turbines, some as tall as 400 feet, can interfere with radar, creating blind spots or sending wrong signals. Peter Drake of radar manufacturer Raytheon told the Times that on radar "a wind turbine can look like a 747 on final approach."

Officials say wind turbines along the Tehachapi Mountains in California near Edwards Air Force Base have limited the military's ability to test radar in the area.

Technically, it can be difficult to filter out wind turbines with computer fixes. As Drake noted, "We don't want to have the software eliminate a real 747."

Part of the problem is the military radar — some of it in the U.S. dates to the 1950s and has limited computing power. Robyn said the Defense Department plans to more aggressively replace older radar. Nevertheless, she also noted the need to improve planning and coordination between federal agencies involved in the process of approving energy projects, the military and developers.

The Air Force held its Forum on Clean Energy last week in Las Vegas. The meeting brought officials and developers together to discuss ways to continue working toward energy independence. In a speech at the forum, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., noted some of the challenges. Reid called for a "more collaborative and transparent process to ensure that these projects and economic development would happen without interfering with the Pentagon's mission."

"It's important that we get this right," he said, noting that Nevada has both valuable military installations and great opportunity for renewable energy development. Nellis Air Force Base, for example, has a 14-acre solar plant that Reid and President Barack Obama toured last year.

Robyn told Congress that the goals of developing renewable energy and military preparedness "should be compatible," and we agree. Federal regulators and renewable energy developers should be working with the military. With some vision, planning and better communication, the nation can find ways to make it all work.