LOS ANGELES (AP) — What was once the world’s largest solar power plant of its type appears headed for closure just 11 years after opening, under pressure from cheaper green energy sources. Meanwhile, environmentalists continue to blame the Mojave Desert plant for killing thousands of birds and tortoises.
The Ivanpah solar power plant formally opened in 2014 on roughly 5 square miles of federal land near the California-Nevada border. Though it was hailed at the time as a breakthrough moment for clean energy, its power has been struggling to compete with cheaper solar technologies.
Pacific Gas & Electric said in a statement it had agreed with owners — including NRG Energy Inc. — to terminate its contracts with the Ivanpah plant. If approved by regulators, the deal would lead to closing two of the plant’s three units starting in 2026. The contracts were expected to run through 2039.
Would love to see more cost comparisons between different types of energy. Coal is literally dirt cheap but also very dirty. Natural gas is almost as cheap. Solar is more expensive, especially in cloudier regions.
Wind is very expensive and hard to maintain. Scotland shut down many of their coastal wind farms because they were not producing enough energy for the costs of maintenance. Sea air and water are very corrosive.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
