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Tags: california | solar power | ivanpah | mohave desert | electricity | obama administration
By Jim Thomas | Thursday, 25 September 2025 10:26 PM EDT
A California solar power facility once hailed as a renewable energy breakthrough is shutting down two decades ahead of schedule after killing tens of thousands of birds and failing to meet electricity output goals, Blaze Media reported.
The Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in California's Mojave Desert was once the largest solar plant in the world. Built on 3,471 acres of public land, the $2.2 billion project included three 459-foot power towers and more than 173,000 heliostat mirrors, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Launched with $1.6 billion in federal loan guarantees from the Obama administration, Ivanpah began operations in 2014 with an expected lifespan of 30 years. But it is now scheduled to shut down in 2026 after failing to generate solar power efficiently, the New York Post reported.
NRG Energy, the Texas-based company that invested most heavily in the project, said in a statement that Ivanpah "has been surpassed by solar photovoltaics (PV) due to much lower capital and operating costs in producing clean energy."
The company said shutdown procedures will commence in 2026, pending regulatory approval. Once closed, the site may be repurposed for PV energy production.
The plant's struggles were compounded in January, when utility giant PG&E announced it would terminate power purchase agreements with Ivanpah.
PG&E announced that terminating the agreements now would reduce costs for customers compared with maintaining them through 2039.
Performance issues plagued Ivanpah for years.
Jenny Chase, a solar analyst at BloombergNEF, told Climate Depot that the plant never generated more than 75% of its planned annual output.
SierraDailyNews reported that Ivanpah continued to rely on natural gas to operate, undermining its image as a green alternative.
Critics say the project is another cautionary tale of failed green energy experiments.
Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, told Fox News, "Ivanpah is yet another failed green energy boondoggle, much like Solyndra. Despite receiving $1.6 billion in federal loan guarantees, it never lived up to its promises, producing less electricity than expected while still relying on natural gas to stay operational."
Steven Milloy, a senior fellow at the Energy & Environmental Legal Institute and a former member of President Donald Trump's Environmental Protection Agency transition team, warned that Ivanpah reflects broader problems with taxpayer-funded renewable energy.
"Soon we will be looking at failures of larger magnitude than Green New Deal spending. No green project relying on taxpayer subsidies has ever made any economic or environmental sense," Milloy told Fox News.
"It's important that President Trump stop the taxpayer bleeding by ending what he accurately calls the 'Green New Scam.'"
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Tags: california | solar power | ivanpah | mohave desert | electricity | obama administration
$2.2B Obama-Backed Solar Plant to Close
By Jim Thomas | Thursday, 25 September 2025 10:26 PM EDT
A California solar power facility once hailed as a renewable energy breakthrough is shutting down two decades ahead of schedule after killing tens of thousands of birds and failing to meet electricity output goals, Blaze Media reported.
The Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in California's Mojave Desert was once the largest solar plant in the world. Built on 3,471 acres of public land, the $2.2 billion project included three 459-foot power towers and more than 173,000 heliostat mirrors, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Launched with $1.6 billion in federal loan guarantees from the Obama administration, Ivanpah began operations in 2014 with an expected lifespan of 30 years. But it is now scheduled to shut down in 2026 after failing to generate solar power efficiently, the New York Post reported.
NRG Energy, the Texas-based company that invested most heavily in the project, said in a statement that Ivanpah "has been surpassed by solar photovoltaics (PV) due to much lower capital and operating costs in producing clean energy."
The company said shutdown procedures will commence in 2026, pending regulatory approval. Once closed, the site may be repurposed for PV energy production.
The plant's struggles were compounded in January, when utility giant PG&E announced it would terminate power purchase agreements with Ivanpah.
PG&E announced that terminating the agreements now would reduce costs for customers compared with maintaining them through 2039.
Performance issues plagued Ivanpah for years.
Jenny Chase, a solar analyst at BloombergNEF, told Climate Depot that the plant never generated more than 75% of its planned annual output.
SierraDailyNews reported that Ivanpah continued to rely on natural gas to operate, undermining its image as a green alternative.
Critics say the project is another cautionary tale of failed green energy experiments.
Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, told Fox News, "Ivanpah is yet another failed green energy boondoggle, much like Solyndra. Despite receiving $1.6 billion in federal loan guarantees, it never lived up to its promises, producing less electricity than expected while still relying on natural gas to stay operational."
Steven Milloy, a senior fellow at the Energy & Environmental Legal Institute and a former member of President Donald Trump's Environmental Protection Agency transition team, warned that Ivanpah reflects broader problems with taxpayer-funded renewable energy.
"Soon we will be looking at failures of larger magnitude than Green New Deal spending. No green project relying on taxpayer subsidies has ever made any economic or environmental sense," Milloy told Fox News.
"It's important that President Trump stop the taxpayer bleeding by ending what he accurately calls the 'Green New Scam.'"
Jim Thomas
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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