Over $2 Billion California Solar Plant Built To Last, Now Closing Over Inefficiency
The partially taxpayer-funded Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in California’s Mojave Desert is set to shut down in 2026 due to inefficiency in generating solar energy, according to the New York Post.
The $2.2 billion
plant, which features three 459-foot towers, was greenlit in 2010 and completed in 2014.
According to the New York Post the closure stems from the site being “outpaced by solar photovoltaic technology” and proving both inefficient and costly. The shutter of the site comes more than a decade ahead of its original 2039 end date,
according to the Associated Press.
Speculation about Ivanpah’s early closure began in January, when Pacific Gas & Electric
announced an agreement with the plant’s owners to terminate its contracts.
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Funds for the massive plant partially came from former President Barack Obama’s Department of Energy, which in 2011
issued $1.6 billion in three federal loan guarantees under former Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. At the 2014 opening, Moniz
touted federal support for the project, calling it “a shining example” of America’s leadership in solar
energy.
In recent years, California has faced mounting problems with solar energy and
refineries. In August 2024, major rooftop solar company SunPower filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware after
struggling with issues like California’s rooftop solar subsidy programs and high interest rates.
The Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in California’s Mojave Desert is set to shut down in 2026 due to inefficiencies, according to the Post.
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