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Once an engineering marvel, two-thirds of this concentrated solar power plant will shut down [View all]
Towering 450 feet above the California desertscape, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Facility was once, not so long ago, a monument to man’s ingenuity.
When it was dedicated in 2014 (a ceremonious occasion attended by a whos-who list that included the active Energy Secretary), the 392-megawatt (MW) Mojave Desert project was the world’s largest concentrated solar power (CSP) facility, nearly doubling the amount of solar thermal energy produced in the United States. A $1.6 billion Department of Energy-financed darling, Ivanpah Solar was among the first projects of its ilk to provide electricity to U.S. utility customers, opening a door that has since been kicked down.
And it may soon be a husk of its former self.
Operator NRG Energy plans to shut down two-thirds of the Ivanpah Solar CSP plant after Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) decided to terminate two power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the facility to save ratepayers money.
--more--
https://www.power-eng.com/news/once-an-engineering-marvel-two-thirds-of-this-concentrated-solar-power-plant-will-shut-down-after-a-california-utility-pulled-two-of-its-ppas/
When it was dedicated in 2014 (a ceremonious occasion attended by a whos-who list that included the active Energy Secretary), the 392-megawatt (MW) Mojave Desert project was the world’s largest concentrated solar power (CSP) facility, nearly doubling the amount of solar thermal energy produced in the United States. A $1.6 billion Department of Energy-financed darling, Ivanpah Solar was among the first projects of its ilk to provide electricity to U.S. utility customers, opening a door that has since been kicked down.
And it may soon be a husk of its former self.
Operator NRG Energy plans to shut down two-thirds of the Ivanpah Solar CSP plant after Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) decided to terminate two power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the facility to save ratepayers money.
--more--
https://www.power-eng.com/news/once-an-engineering-marvel-two-thirds-of-this-concentrated-solar-power-plant-will-shut-down-after-a-california-utility-pulled-two-of-its-ppas/
This power plant was much discussed here in the E&E forum. Now it is trash.
It's unlikely the desert will be restored to something resembling it's natural state. I'm guessing it will be replaced by a photovoltaic plant that will be equally dependent on natural gas for its economic viability.
As some kind of radical environmentalist I oppose these large scale desert solar projects. We are not going to save the world by trashing it.
2 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read