I mean, this place is a pip. Here are a few of the headlines from pieces I’ve done over the years
- Hooray! Warmists Find One Obama Green Project That Has Not Failed! (2012)
- Failing Ivanpah Solar Plant Wants Federal Grant To Repay Federal Loan (2014)
- Ivanpah Solar Plant Could Be Soon Shut Down For, Get This, Not Producing Enough Power (2016)
- Let’s Watch The Environmentally Friendly Ivanpah Solar Plant Incinerate Birds And Insects
- Obama’s Ivanpah Solar Plant On Way To Closure, A “Financial Boondoggle” (2025)
I’ve seen lots of tweets and articles over the years regarding shutting down Ivanpah. And now
Obama-backed $2.2B green energy ‘boondoggle’ leaves taxpayers on the hook
Federal taxpayers helped build a $2.2 billion solar plant — now electricity customers are on the hook to keep it running.
The Ivanpah Solar Power Plant, a sprawling facility near the California-Nevada border built with billions in federal support during the Obama-era economic stimulus program, is stuck in a costly dilemma.
Both the Trump and Biden administrations — along with the utility company that buys its power — have sought to shut it down, saying it underperforms, produces expensive electricity and has been overtaken by cheaper energy sources. But California regulators have refused to allow it to close, warning that closing the plant could strain the power grid.
The result is a costly standoff rooted in years of government decisions: shutting it down could leave taxpayers responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars tied to a $1.6 billion federal loan, while keeping it open means higher electricity costs for consumers.
The place kills about 6,000 birds a year. The technology became obsolete in just 11 years. It is absurdly expensive. The promise of low cost energy was a lie.
But, you know what? I say let it stay operational and let the people of the People’s Republik Of California pay for it and deal with the higher electricity costs. They voted for it. They supported this. They voted for Obama and Democrats to get this stuff. Let them reap the rewards.
The promise was affordable, reliable, green power. The reality was high costs, technical failures and ecological damage.
Pretty much every promise ever made about renewable energy.
Not to mention the gas/coal fired powerplant that has to be kept idling to pick up the load when the sun doesn’t shine.