Solar Energy's Real Problem

American Thinker ^ | May 26, 2016 | Ryan Yonk and Devin Stein

[detective]

Ivanpah, the world's largest solar power plant located in California's Mojave Desert, caught fire last Thursday, causing damage to one of the plant's three towers. This latest engineering setback is the least of the plant's woes. Prohibitive economic realities are the true problem.

Earlier this year, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) decided to postpone its continued support of the struggling facility, which was touted as the future of solar power when it opened in 2014. But after receiving $1.6 billion in loan guarantees from the Department of Energy (DOE) and $535 million from the U.S. Treasury Department, the facility's promising future is turning out to be a multi-billion-dollar waste of money.

Ivanpah is unable to meet its intended electricity generation of 940,000 megawatt-hours per year, despite its designation as the largest concentrated solar plant in the world. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) received only 45 percent of the electricity it expected from Ivanpah in 2014 and 68 percent in 2015.

[detective]

"after receiving $1.6 billion in loan guarantees from the Department of Energy (DOE) and $535 million from the U.S. Treasury Department, the facility's promising future is turning out to be a multi-billion-dollar waste of money."

Solar energy is an expensive, uneconomic, taxpayer funded failure.

[2banana]

Solar Energy’s Real Problem

IT MAKES NO ECONOMIC SENSE (except for a few small niches)

[johniegrad]

All these facts have been known for quite some time now.

When do we get to hold government's feet to the fire for wasting our hard earned money?

[kingu]

Average price per megawatt hour: $26

2 billion dollars for 531,000 megawatt hours delivered from this sinkhole works out to be $3,800 per megawatt hour.

Seems cheap compared to other solar options.

[dhs12345]

Just curious: has anyone done a study to determine the impact of millions or billions of solar cells absorbing all of the sun energy - passive, active, etc.? There has to be an impact although it might be insignificant but I wonder.

Contrary to what enviros would have us believe, you don't get anything for free.

[dhs12345]

And that is the problem with solar. Other options are a lot cheaper. A LOT CHEAPER. So what is the solution for the left and enviros — make the other options a lot more expensive (by constraining supply) thereby making solar more compelling. Of course, this would create hardship for the average American but they really don't care.

Clearly, as you have shown, electricity would have to become extremely expensive before solar is compelling. The two technologies might meet in the middle at some point but that would still mean that heating and light ones house would be extremely expensive... and unaffordable.

[headstamp 2]

Along with those disgusting looking windmills as a blight on the landscape.

[AZLiberty]

IT MAKES NO ECONOMIC SENSE (except for a few small niches

... and many friends of Obama.)

[NohSpinZone]

What if they started to sell the crispy-fried birds that this solar plant monstrosity is creating as a delicacy? Maybe that’ll help offset the costs?

[lacrew]

Anyone remember the Bundy ranch standoff?

At the heart of it were new restrictions on the number of cattle that could graze. The reduction in herd was required, in order to protect the habitat of the desert tortoise...its a protected species, after all.

Well, Ivanpah sits smack in the middle of the desert tortoise’s range. Apparently environmentalists don’t care about turtles, if they get to build a shiny solar plant.

[webheart]

The way the government wastes our money is by borrowing it. That way it isn’t really hard-earned. Yet. Deficit spending de-couples spending from taxation and revenue collection. They can spend whatever they want because the people they are borrowing it from haven’t been born yet and can’t refuse the indebtedness. Meanwhile the baby boomers can have all sorts of boondoggles without the discomforts of failure, comfortable in their self-assurance that their tax dollars are at work.

[from occupied ga]

the facility's promising future is turning out to be a multi-billion-dollar waste of money.

Like every other industry the government was picked as a winner due to political payoffs to the donor class (Bush, ethanol as a motor fuel and the GOPe come to mind) But not let's forget solyndra, and light rail, and the two hundred billion dollar bullet train boondoggle in Kalifornistan and other schemes designed to funnel taxpayer money into useless schemes and the pockets of those who bought political influence

[familyop]

Solar energy’s real problem? High installation costs—the middlemen. A good owner installation makes sense and can be cost-effective with the right appliances installed, but that requires study in advance, including the Electrical Code. An owner should also have some technical aptitude from previous experiences (mechanics, building, etc.). The political class need not apply.

[MarkL]

Solar Energy’s Real Problem

Night time!

Mark

[MarkL]

Apparently environmentalists don’t care about turtles, if they get to build a shiny solar plant.

Or migrating birds, when it comes to their windmills. But I do understand the waiver on the number of eagles the windmills are allowed to kill.

It's OK to kill the symbol of the USA, it just shows what they're trying to do to us.

Mark

[sportutegrl]

They fry more birds than KFC?

[The Westerner]

Factoids I've heard about lately: In California, the Air Resources Board, et.al. told car companies that 20% of their sales must be electric vehicles, not hybrids, electric.
California had wiped out its nuclear industry which cleanly and safely was delivering electricity to customers for years. Additionally, the current drought has lowered even Hoover Dam's generating capacity.
Factoid: only a few years ago, SoCal Edison started building solar farms, but without workers who knew what they were doing. Subcontractors were hired, the whole thing was mismanaged, but somehow got built.
The ideology of those who pass laws to shut down nuclear, force people to buy electric battery operated cars that haven’t even been perfected and mass marketed yet are people who have a death wish for themselves and the rest of the civilized world.

[dhs12345]

Paraphrasing your point....

So is CA increasing capacity? Because if everyone is supposed to be driving electric cars, then the power grid will need a serious upgrade including power production. Won’t it?

The problem with solar is that it is only available during the sunlight hours and probably even a narrow band of time when the sun is optimal. How much of the solar generated electricity can be stored when the sun is not available?

Are the solar generating power plants passive or active — heat, steam, turbines, or photo voltaic? Can the hot water/steam be stored in somehow?

Sure seems like a looming train wreck after everyone is forced to go all electric and there won’t be any electricity to charge their electric cars.

[Tucker39]

Can I get mine without the charred feathers?

[Osage Orange]

I've no problem with solar, wind..etc...energy.

Just don't make me fund it.

We have huge windmills around here now....Funded by government grants...And they get to have quota's on how many Bald Eagles they can kill.

Yet all hell will break loose if a migrating sparrow..gets some oil on it.