Organization:Ivanpah Solar Power Facility

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Short description: Concentrated solar thermal power station in the Mojave Desert of California
Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System
Ivanpah Solar Power Facility (1).jpg
Looking north towards Ivanpah Facility's eastern boiler tower from Interstate 15
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CountryUnited States
Locationnear Ivanpah, San Bernardino County, California
Coordinates [ ⚑ ] : 35°34′N 115°28′W / 35.57°N 115.47°W / 35.57; -115.47
StatusOperational
Construction began27 October 2010[1]
Project commissioning13 February 2014[2][3][1]
Construction cost$2.2 billion ($2.38 billion in 2019 dollars[4])
Owner(s)NRG Energy
BrightSource Energy
Google
Employees60[5]
Solar farm
TypeCSP
CSP technologySolar power tower
Collectors173,500
Site resource2,717 kWh/m2/yr
Thermal power station
Primary fuelSolar energy and natural gas
Site area3,500 acres (1,420 ha)[6]
Cooling sourceAir cooling
Power purchase agreement>$0.135 / kWh (estimated)[7]
Power generation
Nameplate capacityUnit 1: 126 MW
Units 2 and 3: 133 MW each.
Planned: 440 MW gross, Build: 392 MW gross, 377 MW net[6]
Capacity factor24.1% (2018 actual) / 28.5% (Planned)
Annual net output856 GW·h
External links
Websiteivanpahsolar.com
[edit on Wikidata]

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is a concentrated solar thermal plant in the Mojave Desert. It is located at the base of Clark Mountain in California , across the state line from Primm, Nevada. The plant has a gross capacity of 392 megawatts (MW).[8] It deploys 173,500 heliostats, each with two mirrors focusing solar energy on boilers located on three 459 feet (140 m) tall[9] solar power towers.[8] The first unit of the system was connected to the electrical grid in September 2013 for an initial synchronisation test.[10] The facility formally opened on February 13, 2014.[2] In 2014, it was the world's largest solar thermal power station.[11][12]

The $2.2 billion facility was developed by BrightSource Energy and Bechtel.[13] The largest investor in the project was NRG Energy which contributed $300 million. Google contributed $168 million.[14] The United States government provided a $1.6 billion loan guarantee and the plant is built on public land.[15] In 2010, the project was scaled back from its original 440 MW design to avoid disturbing the habitat of the desert tortoise.[16]

Description

Aerial photograph of Ivanpah Solar Power Facility
Power tower 2 of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System under construction. The heliostat mirrors on the truck are awaiting installation.
View of Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System from Yates Well Road. The Clark Mountain Range can be seen in the distance.
Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System with all three towers under load, Feb 2014. Taken from the I-15.
The bright spots of Ivanpah are clearly visible from above Las Vegas and further.

The Ivanpah system consists of three solar thermal power plants on 3,500 acres (1,400 ha) of public land near the California–Nevada border in the Southwestern United States.[17] Initially it was planned with 440 MW gross on 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) of land, but then downgraded by 12%. It is near Interstate 15 and north of Ivanpah, California.[18] The facility is visible from the adjacent Mojave National Preserve, the Mesquite Wilderness, and the Stateline Wilderness.[18] It is also very visible from the Primm Valley resort area to the northeast.

Fields of heliostat mirrors focus sunlight on receivers located on centralized solar power towers. The receivers generate steam to drive specially adapted steam turbines.

For the first plant, the largest-ever fully solar-powered steam turbine generator set was ordered, with a 123 MW Siemens SST-900 single-casing reheat turbine.[19] Siemens also supplied instrumentation and control systems.[20] The plants use BrightSource Energy's "Luz Power Tower 550" (LPT 550) technology[21] which heats the steam to 550 °C directly in the receivers.[22] The plants have no storage.[23]

Final approval for the project was granted in October 2010.[24] On October 27, 2010, Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, and other dignitaries gathered in the Mojave Desert to break the ground for the construction.[8]

The project, which had a total cost of about $2.18 billion,[25] received a $1.6 billion loan guarantee from the United States Department of Energy.[26] The facility developed contracts to sell about two-thirds of the power it generated to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), and the rest to Southern California Edison (SCE).[27][28][21]

View of the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility from the Yates Well Road exit of the I-15 Freeway.

The largest investor in the project was NRG Energy, a generating company based in Princeton, New Jersey. It contributed $300 million.[14] The project also received an investment of $168 million from Google.[29] However, in November 2011, Google announced that it would no longer invest in the facility due to the rapid decline of the price of photovoltaic systems.[30][31][14] $90,000,000 in financing was provided through the EB-5 Investor Immigration program, managed in this case by CMB Regional Centers.[32]

  • Ivanpah Solar Power Facility online

  • Ivanpah's eastern tower online. Note the sunlight glare on either side of the boiler.

  • One of the three towers of the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility

  • A severely underexposed close-up of one of the boilers

  • Solar towers in full operation

  • Satellite photo of Ivanpah (center)

Fossil fuel consumption

The plant burns natural gas each morning to commence the operation. The Wall Street Journal reported, "Instead of ramping up the plant each day before sunrise by burning one hour's worth of natural gas to generate steam, Ivanpah needs more than four times that much."[33] On August 27, 2014, the State of California approved Ivanpah to increase its annual natural gas consumption from 328,000,000 cubic feet (9,300,000 m3) of natural gas, as previously approved, to 525,000,000 cubic feet (14,900,000 m3).[34] In 2014, the plant burned 868×109 British thermal units (254 GWh) of natural gas emitting 46,084 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is nearly twice the pollution threshold at which power plants and factories in California are required to participate in the state's cap and trade program to reduce carbon emissions.[35] If that fuel had been used in a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant, it would have generated about 124 GWh of electrical energy.[36] The facility used that gas plus solar energy to produce 419 GWh of electrical energy (more than three times that of the referenced CCGT plant), all the while operating at well below its expected output. In 2015, the facility showed higher production numbers, with Q1 increases of 170% over the same time period in 2014.[37]

The facility uses three Rentech Type-D water tube boilers and three night time preservation boilers. The California Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission approved for each a stack "130 feet (40 m) high and 60 inches (1.5 m) in diameter" and consumption of 242,500 cu ft/h (6,870 m3/h) of fuel.[38]

Economic impact

BrightSource estimated that the Ivanpah facility would provide 1,000 jobs at the peak of construction, 86 permanent jobs, and total economic benefits of $3 billion.[27][21] Elected San Bernardino County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, who represents most of the California Mojave Desert, stated that the "project would create jobs for mostly Las Vegas and electricity for mostly San Francisco".[39]

The project received a $1.6 billion loan guarantee from the United States Department of Energy.[40] According to Synapse Energy Economics, the estimated construction cost for the facility of $5,561.00 per kW fell between that of coal and nuclear power plants.[41][42] but this does not account for the less favorable capacity factor of solar power.

In November 2014, the facility's investors applied for a $539 million federal grant to finance their federal loan.[15]

Performance

Contracted power-delivery performance of 640 GWh/year from Units 1 and 3 and 336 GWh from Unit 2[37] was met by 2017, following sharply reduced production in the first few years of operation, particularly in the start-up year of 2014.[43]

In November 2014, the Associated Press reported that the facility was producing only "about half of its expected annual output". The California Energy Commission issued a statement blaming this on "clouds, jet contrails and weather".[44] Performance improved in 2015 to about 650 GWh. However, NRG Energy said in its November quarterly report that Ivanpah would likely not meet its contractual obligations to provide power to PG&E during the year, raising the risk of default on its Power Purchase Agreement.[45] PG&E had a contract to receive 640 GWh/year from Units 1 and 3, while SCE was supposed to receive 336 GWh from Unit 2,[37] at a price of about $200/MWh (20¢/kWh).[45] In March 2016, PG&E agreed not to declare the plant in default for at least four months in return for an undisclosed sum from the owners.[46]

In June 2015, The Wall Street Journal reported, "15 months after starting up, the plant is producing just 40% of [its expected more than a million megawatt-hours of electricity each year], according to data from the U.S. Energy Department."[47] Performance improved dramatically in the second year. CleanTechnica reported with respect to units 1 and 3 that "in 2015, PG&E customers received about 97% of Ivanpah's contracted electrons, which is a massive improvement over its first year".[48]

By 2017, due to improvements, the plant was meeting the contract output requirements.[43]

The steam plant was designed for 28.72% gross efficiency.[6] The local irradiance near the area is about 7.4 kWh/m2/day[49][50] (annual average) for a total solar energy flow in the visible spectrum of 2.717 MWh/m2 yearly.

One heliostat mirror is a 75.6 square feet (7.02 m2) reflecting surface,[51] giving a total of 151.2 square feet (14.05 m2) per heliostat. The total plant heliostat reflecting surface results in 173,500 heliostats × 14.05 m2/heliostat = 2,437,144 m2. If the mirrors could always be perpendicular to Sun's ray, based on irradiance, the intercepted solar energy flow is 2.717 MWh/m2/year × 2,437,144 m2 = 6,621,720 MWh yearly. [52]

May 2016 industrial accident

On May 19, 2016, a small fire was reported when misaligned mirrors reflected sunlight into a level of Unit 3 tower not designed to collect power, requiring the tower to shut down for repairs.[53] As another of the three power-generating units was already offline for scheduled maintenance, the plant was left with only one third of its installation functional.[53] Unit 3 resumed operation on June 8, 2016. All three units were back in operation by June 20, 2016. Solar thermal electricity production in California peaked at 703 MW on that day,[54] up from 452 MW on June 7 when two units were offline.[55]

Awards

In August 2014, Ivanpah was awarded the "Plant of the Year" award from Power magazine.[56] In February 2012, Ivanpah was awarded the CSP (Concentrating Solar Power) Project of the Year by Solar Power Generation USA.[57]

Environmental impacts

The project generated controversy because of the decision to build it on ecologically intact desert habitat.[58] The Ivanpah installation was estimated, before operations started, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 400,000 tons annually. It was designed to minimize impacts on the natural environment compared to some photovoltaic solar facilities because the use of heliostats does not require as much grading of the land.[57] The facility was fenced off to keep out some terrestrial wildlife. However, birds faced the risk of collision with the heliostat mirrors or from burning in solar flux created by the mirror field.[59][60]

In 2012, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) issued a report on the project, citing water concerns, damage to visual resources, and impacts on important desert species. To conserve scarce desert water, LPT 550 uses air-cooling to convert steam back into water. Compared to conventional wet-cooling, this results in a 90 percent reduction in water usage. The water is then returned to the boiler in a closed process.[21]

Another potential issue is the effect of mirror glare on airplane pilots.[61] Additionally, "the power towers have 'receiver units' at their top on which the mirror fields focus their reflected light. During operation, these receiver units become extremely hot, such that they glow and appear brightly lit. ... Because they are high above the ground, these glowing receiver units will be a visible distraction to persons at many of the KOPs [Key Observation Points], including travelers utilizing I-15."[18]

According to the State of California Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission Opening Briefs regarding this project, "the project itself is visually imposing. It would cover roughly 4,000 acres [1,600 ha], most of which would be covered with mirror fields. The panoramic expanse of mirror arrays would present strong textural contrast with the intact, natural character of the desert floor [and] would rise to a height of roughly 459 feet [140 m]; an additional 10 to 15 feet [3.0 to 4.6 metres] above that height would consist of lighting to meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements."[18]

Desert tortoise

The solar power facility under construction in August 2013

The Ivanpah Solar power project was built on 6 square miles (16 km2) of public land in the south central Mojave Desert.[62] Project construction was temporarily halted in the spring of 2011 due to the suspected impacts on desert tortoises.[63] Construction resumed when the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) found the project was not likely to jeopardize the endangered desert tortoise.[64] BrightSource also installed fencing to keep wildlife out of the area.[65] In 2010, the project was scaled back from the original 440 MW design, to avoid building on the habitat of the desert tortoise.[16]

Many desert tortoises found on the site were relocated to other parts of the Mojave Desert. However, environmentalists raised concerns that relocated tortoises were more likely to die due to the stresses involved.[66][67]

Birds

During the trial of the plant in September 2013, thirty-four dead birds were found at the plant. Fifteen had heavily burned feathers, which staff at the plant referred to as "streamers" because they were burned in flight by the intense radiation from the heliostat mirrors.[68] From February through June 2014, a team of biologists monitoring the number of bird deaths reported a total of 290.[69]

In April 2014, the USFWS reported that 141 dead birds, including peregrine falcon, barn owl and yellow-rumped warbler had been collected at Ivanpah in October 2013. Forty-seven of the birds' deaths were attributed to solar flux.[70] According to a report by the Associated Press, "Ivanpah might act as a 'mega-trap' for wildlife, with the bright light of the plant attracting insects, which in turn attract insect-eating birds that fly to their death in the intensely focused light rays."[71] Bird kill mitigation strategies were considered, including proven, environmentally safe technologies such as avian radars and LRADs to keep birds away from the site, covering ponds to discourage waterbirds from loitering, and clearing additional land around the plant to make it less attractive and more visible to birds in flight.[68][72][73][74] Some of the bird deaths occurred when the plant was in standby-mode, and the mirrors were focused above the tower. This issue was resolved by spreading the focus wider, below damaging intensity.[75]

In April 2015 The Wall Street Journal reported that "biologists working for the state estimated that 3,500 birds died at Ivanpah in the span of a year, many of them burned alive while flying through a part of the solar installment where air temperatures can reach 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit [540 °C]".[76]

In late 2015, Brightsource released the results of the first full year monitoring bird and bat deaths at the Ivanpah solar plant. The company reported that during a year of study supervised by the California Division of Wildlife, the number of observed bird deaths, adjusted upward to account for inefficiencies of the carcass-counting, were around 3,500 bird deaths per year caused by the Ivanpah solar plant. The Ivanpah plant took steps to further reduce bird deaths.[77][78]

The initial reports of high avian casualties have been disputed ever since initial reports surfaced. In September 2014, for example, Renewable Energy World suggested "With its claim of 28,000 dead birds from Ivanpah, the Associated Press syndicated a story on every front page in America, spreading alarm about concentrated solar power (CSP) plants, which was not grounded in facts, but on one opponent's speculation."[79][80]

In September 2016, federal biologists said about 6,000 birds die from collisions or immolation annually while chasing flying insects around the facility's towers.[81]

Ivanpah was covered in the 2019 documentary Planet of the Humans.

Production

Ivanpah Solar electric production is as follows (in megawatt-hours, MWh).

Ivanpah 1 (126 MW gross)

Net electricity production (all) [MWh][82]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Sun NG Total
2014 5,632 4,460 4,946 9,130 15,879 23,722 12,277 16,807 19,743 17,455 15,993 5,922 151,966 0 151,966
2015 4,448 16,471 20,010 25,281 12,380 25,126 19,575 23,404 21,333 11,813 16,230 13,904 201,075 8,902 209,975
2016 7,599 23,686 18,427 13,284 26,006 32,875 31,796 24,403 26,860 20,616 19,663 10,440 243,479 12,176 255,655
2017 11,310 11,699 12,283 11,656 28,709 34,797 21,742 23,437 24,803 28,777 14,736 15,577 228,136 11,390 239,526
2018 16,881 9,714 18,825 14,019 19,704 36,206 21,400 26,060 29,267 20,173 18,055 12,172 231,142 11,334 242,476
2019 13,784 2,178 13,823 20,270 20,031 32,266 32,026 32,450 24,140 27,333 16,380 8,356 234,681 8,798 243,037
2020 12,350 17,961 14,547 22,355 33,691 30,616 38,060 33,299 27,324 27,041 18,176 9,713 270,941 14,192 285,133
2021 13,103 7,958 19,132 24,609 27,896 23,319 16,988 26,664 24,904 15,777 22,027 12,774 223,357 11,794 235,151
2022 15,898 8,191 18,717 26,207 20,133 31,045 18,183 16,488 17,543 25,338 15,108 9,920 217,597 5,174 222,771
Total 2,002,374 83,760 2,085,690

Ivanpah 2 (133 MW gross)

Net electricity production (all) [MWh][83]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Sun NG Total
2014 2,167 1,304 5,604 9,596 13,020 15,825 14,350 12,812 14,446 18,157 15,350 6,632 129,264 0 129,263
2015 6,909 8,915 19,585 24,364 17,243 26,206 18,953 23,900 22,628 12,477 22,222 15,642 210,515 8,529 219,044
2016 10,070 17,615 19,436 5,626 0 9,359 33,386 25,281 25,918 20,389 21,012 11,590 190,412 9,270 199,682
2017 13,381 9,220 16,754 13,359 29,201 22,800 22,181 20,204 25,708 29,253 16,577 17,736 226,850 9,974 236,824
2018 13,536 16,429 20,399 21,254 29,246 39,354 20,599 28,467 32,364 21,375 20,436 13,595 264,009 13,045 277,054
2019 15,085 13,207 12,635 19,331 22,647 34,930 33,856 36,735 25,343 30,832 19,310 7,731 258,458 13,184 271,642
2020 16,180 5,044 5,297 21,517 37,645 33,438 39,333 34,852 29,915 26,896 20,827 11,601 269,143 13,402 282,545
2021 13,811 10,769 21,341 30,297 28,082 25,521 19,691 29,712 26,244 17,027 19,548 10,302 242,094 10,251 252,345
2022 16,683 10,167 21,390 27,177 35,487 33,871 23,178 17,420 23,432 28,859 17,780 11,903 261,333 6,014 267,347
Total 2,052,078 83,669 2,135,747

Ivanpah 3 (133 MW gross)

Net electricity production (all) [MWh][84]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Sun NG Total
2014 2,686 3,866 9,409 6,107 15,885 24,728 9,340 14,451 9,562 20,401 15,834 5,587 137,856 0 137,856
2015 10,531 4,887 17,495 25,659 18,333 26,202 23,153 25,502 22,186 12,681 22,022 15,452 215,573 8,530 224,103
2016 7,770 25,953 20,546 19,539 17,430 23,487 33,667 15,947 29,437 20,307 21,377 12,242 236,684 11,018 247,702
2017 13,164 12,909 21,605 15,574 29,103 40,080 22,471 24,001 24,730 19,755 9,488 10,618 231,913 11,875 243,788
2018 18,456 17,820 19,957 26,787 27,488 40,177 21,198 24,047 30,075 20,848 19,380 10,093 266,338 9,988 276,326
2019 6,342 11,818 21,794 19,744 22,029 34,803 31,638 32,214 23,251 26,683 17,700 9,431 246,784 10,751 257,535
2020 6,818 18,825 13,534 23,023 36,486 32,562 36,500 32,983 28,786 27,625 19,685 11,796 275,733 12,890 288,623
2021 5,590 19,661 21,859 31,740 32,646 15,057 19,676 29,284 23,155 17,445 22,478 13,629 240,246 11,974 252,220
2022 11,226 22,714 24,675 28,162 35,889 31,176 22,998 19,173 24,216 27,802 19,032 11,973 273,694 5,352 279,046
Total 2,124,821 82,378 2,207,199

Ivanpah total (392 MW gross)

Net electricity production (all) [MWh]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Sun NG Total
2014 10,485 9,630 19,959 24,833 44,784 64,275 35,967 44,070 43,751 56,013 47,177 18,141 419,085 0 419,085
2015 21,888 30,273 57,090 75,304 47,956 77,534 61,681 72,806 66,147 36,971 60,474 44,998 627,161 25,961 653,122
2016 25,439 67,254 58,409 38,449 43,436 65,721 98,849 65,631 82,215 61,312 62,052 34,272 670,575 32,464 703,039
2017 38,305 33,828 50,642 40,589 87,013 97,677 66,664 67,642 75,241 77,805 40,801 43,931 686,899 33,239 720,138
2018 48,873 43,963 59,181 62,060 76,438 115,737 63,197 78,754 91,706 62,396 57,871 35,860 761,489 34,367 795,856
2019 35,211 27,203 48,252 59,345 64,707 101,999 97,520 101,399 72,734 84,848 53,478 25,518 739,481 32,733 772,214
2020 35,348 41,830 33,378 66,895 107,822 96,616 113,893 101,134 86,025 81,562 58,688 33,110 815,817 40,484 856,301
2021 32,504 38,388 62,332 86,646 88,624 63,897 56,355 85,660 74,303 50,249 64,053 36,705 705,697 34,019 739,716
2022 43,807 41,072 64,782 81,546 91,519 96,092 64,359 53,081 65,191 81,999 51,920 33,796 752,624 16,540 769,164
Total 6,178,828 249,807 6,428,635

Ivanpah was advertised as designed to produce 940,000 MWh of electricity per year, based on its nameplate capacity and assumed capacity factor.[85] In its second year of operation, Ivanpah's production of 653,122 MWh of net electricity was 69.5 percent of this value, ramping up from 44.6 percent in the first year. The commissioning of a new thermal plants requires up to four years to achieve 100% operating level, from the first grid connection to full production.[86] In its seventh year (2020), the annual production was 91.1% of its advertised value.

Ivanpah total annual production

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Fossil fuel use

Ivanpah Solar's use of gas is as follows, expressed in million British thermal units (Btu) as reported. For comparison to the above charts, 1 MWh is about 3.4 million Btu.

Ivanpah 1

Natural gas consumption (million Btu)[82]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total
2014 31,760 18,369 9,703 22,767 27,198 59,739 37,609 24,261 24,387 14,670 NR NR 270,463
2015 8,249 28,789 29,352 43,618 32,783 49,351 50,815 45,301 38,393 20,485 30,577 33,405 411,118
2016 25,620 37,072 52,382 27,248 53,663 59,477 59,281 48,803 38,492 32,974 24,621 21,420 481,053
2017 28,741 28,074 23,267 40,726 26,001 58,778 52,522 49,036 50,714 20,252 20,901 15,212 357,859
2018 36,314 15,816 35,324 24,087 30,421 70,159 63,494 71,117 35,154 29,440 11,153 30,804 453,283
2019 38,476 10,505 31,693 41,240 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 121,914
Total 1,942,972

Ivanpah 2

Natural gas consumption (million Btu)[83]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total
2014 41,657 13,645 18,319 16,234 21,420 34,324 38,984 22,105 22,100 12,976 13,663 19,446 274,873
2015 14,630 19,544 32,438 29,600 42,063 49,999 39,171 43,540 39,894 24,949 33,994 37,370 407,192
2016 36,861 29,874 49,996 14,780 0 21,706 52,315 38,057 34,092 34,587 29,525 23,088 364,881
2017 28,550 26,091 34,818 60,626 30,140 40,428 43,744 23,295 42,716 28,157 24,562 19,038 402,165
2018 32,525 24,106 36,828 23,580 42,921 56,040 52,336 82,818 74,222 28,563 11,882 22,839 497,660
2019 42,768 14,567 22,498 39,362 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 119,195
Total 1,923,932

Ivanpah 3

Natural gas consumption (million Btu)[84]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total
2014 29,309 18,498 22,532 13,624 25,321 56,292 33,508 26,337 21,487 15,390 NR NR 262,298
2015 17,473 8,460 29,072 38,642 43,708 48,695 40,115 60,249 36,547 20,547 44,193 39,975 427,676
2016 36,645 41,799 52,801 42,714 27,006 41,573 52,577 22,031 33,361 34,512 29,580 29,875 444,474
2017 30,930 27,660 32,173 35,459 26,456 65,677 47,956 43,363 52,544 15,867 11,493 11,945 401,523
2018 36,667 28,583 57,746 53,768 7,086 59,954 21,139 35,930 36,435 21,661 5,918 13,448 378,335
2019 14,887 22,456 39,329 31,723 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 108,395
Total 1,900,858

Ivanpah total

Natural gas consumption (million Btu)
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total
2014 102,726 50,512 50,554 52,625 73,939 150,355 110,101 72,703 67,974 43,036 NR NR 774,525
2015 40,352 56,793 90,862 111,860 118,554 148,045 130,101 149,090 114,834 65,981 108,764 110,750 1,245,986
2016 99,126 108,745 155,179 84,742 80,669 122,756 164,173 108,891 105,945 102,073 83,626 74,383 1,290,308
2017 88,221 81,825 90,258 136,811 82,597 164,883 144,222 115,694 145,974 64,276 56,956 46,195 1,217,912
2018 105,506 68,505 129,898 110,435 80,428 186,153 136,969 189,865 145,811 79,664 28,953 67,091 1,329,278
2019 96,131 47,528 93,520 112,325 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 349,504
Total 5,790,918

NR = Not reported
n/a = Not available

See also

  • List of solar thermal power stations
  • SEGS
  • Solar power plants in the Mojave Desert
  • Blythe Solar Power Project

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Overton, Thomas W. (August 2014). "Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System Earns POWER's Highest Honor". Power. http://www.bechtel.com/getmedia/25dac6fe-8d63-49d2-8590-7bb9d89131fe/isegs-plant-of-the-year_aug-1-2014. Retrieved 18 April 2022. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Michael R. Blood and Brian Skolof, "Huge thermal plant opens as solar industry grows" , Associated Press, February 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Update from Ivanpah – May 2013". May 22, 2013. http://ivanpahsolar.com/update-from-ivanpah-may-2013. "Ivanpah Project Is More Than 92 Percent Complete" 
  4. ↑ Thomas, Ryland; Williamson, Samuel H. (2020). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. http://www.measuringworth.com/datasets/usgdp/. Retrieved September 22, 2020  United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth series.
  5. ↑ "Loan Programs Office: IVANPAH". US Department of Energy. 2017-06-01. https://www.energy.gov/lpo/ivanpah. "ECONOMIC IMPACT: Ivanpah created 1,000 construction jobs and is expected to support 61 permanent jobs." 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System". National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). http://www.nrel.gov/csp/solarpaces/project_detail.cfm/projectID=62. 
  7. ↑ Trabish, Herman (2014-02-13). "Ivanpah: World's Biggest Solar Power Tower Project Goes On-Line - But will more concentrated solar power follow?". Greentech Media. https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Ivanpah-Worlds-Biggest-Solar-Power-Tower-Project-Goes-Online. "Though Ivanpah’s PPA prices are undisclosed, they are thought to be no less than the $0.135 per kilowatt-hour PPA price for SolarReserve’s 110-megawatt Crescent Dunes project in Nevada, far from DOE’s CSP target price of $0.06 per kilowatt-hour." 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Brightsource Ivanpah". http://ivanpahsolar.com/. 
  9. ↑ "Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System Tower 2 - the Skyscraper Center". https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/ivanpah-solar-electric-generating-system-tower-2/23945. 
  10. ↑ "Business Wire: Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System Reaches 'First Sync' Milestone". Businesswire.com. 24 September 2013. http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130924005388/en/. 
  11. ↑ "World largest solar thermal plant syncs to the grid". Spectrum.ieee.org. 26 September 2013. https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/renewables/worlds-largest-solar-thermal-plant-syncs-to-the-grid. 
  12. ↑ "World's Largest Solar Thermal Power Project at Ivanpah Achieves Commercial Operation" , NRG press release, February 13, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Solar energy plant in California gets new partner in NRG". Power Engineering International (PennWell Corporation). 2010-10-28. http://www.powergenworldwide.com/index/display/articledisplay/9766778866/articles/powergenworldwide/renewables/solar/2010/10/NRG-solar-partner.html. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Wald, Matthew (November 28, 2011). "Google Pulls the Plug on a Renewable Energy Effort". The New York Times. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/28/google-pulls-the-plug-on-a-renewable-energy-effort/. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 La Jeunesse, William (November 8, 2014). "World's largest solar plant applying for federal grant to pay off federal loan". Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/11/08/world-largest-solar-plant-applying-for-federal-grant-to-pay-off-its-federal/. "investors of a California solar power plant now want a $539 million federal grant to pay off their federal loan." 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Woody, Todd (February 11, 2010). "BrightSource Alters Solar Plant Plan to Address Concerns Over Desert Tortoise". The New York Times. http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/brightsource-alters-solar-plant-plan-to-address-concerns-over-desert-tortoise/. 
  17. ↑ Walsh, Bryan (24 June 2013). "Tower of Power". Time (magazine): pp. Business 1–4. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 "Docket No. 07-AFC-5: Energy Commission Staff's Opening Brief". California Energy Commission. 1 April 2010. http://www.energy.ca.gov/sitingcases/ivanpah/documents/2010-04-01_Energy_Commission_Staff_Opening_Brief.pdf. 
  19. ↑ Siemens press release Siemens to supply 123 MW steam turbine-generator set for solar thermal power plant in California
  20. ↑ Siemens. "Energy efficiency. Rethinking the energy system here in the U.S.". Usa.siemens.com. http://www.usa.siemens.com/energy-efficiency/energy-efficiency.html. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 BrightSource & Bechtel Partner on 440-MW Ivanpah CSP Project Renewable Energy World, September 10, 2009.
  22. ↑ "[1] ", page 8
  23. ↑ "Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. Concentrating Solar Power. NREL" (in en). 2014-11-20. https://www.nrel.gov/csp/solarpaces/project_detail.cfm/projectID=62. 
  24. ↑ BrightSource secures final approval for Ivanpah solar project , BusinessGreen.com staff, BusinessGreen, 08 Oct 2010
  25. ↑ Wesoff, Eric; Brett Prior (April 25, 2011). "BrightSource Files for $250M IPO: A Closer Look". Greentech Media. http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/brightsource-energy-files-for-250m-ipo-an-analysis/. 
  26. ↑ Electric Power Daily (12 April 2011). "DOE finalizes $1.6 billion Ivanpah solar loan". Platts. http://plattsenergyweektv.com/story.aspx?storyid=146458&catid=293. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Mufson, Steven (February 23, 2010). "Solar power project in Mojave Desert gets $1.4 billion boost from stimulus funds". Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/22/AR2010022204891.html. 
  28. ↑ Gupta, Poornima; Ayesha Rascoe (February 22, 2010). "California solar project gets $1.4 bln US guarantee". Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2221548420100223. 
  29. ↑ Sadanand, Tejal (April 12, 2011). "Google goes green, invests $168 million in Ivanpah Solar power". International Business Times. http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/133255/20110412/google-solar-power-tower-plant-ivanpah-solar-electric-generating-system-isegs-us-department-of-energ.htm. 
  30. ↑ Google cans concentrated solar power project Reve, 24 Nov 2011. Accessed: 25 Nov 2011.
  31. ↑ Google Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal (RE<C) , Google. Accessed: 30 November 2011.
  32. ↑ "CMB - EB5 Visa" (in en-US). https://www.cmbeb5visa.com/project/group-vii-brightsource/. 
  33. ↑ Sweet, Cassandra (12 June 2015). "High-Tech Solar Projects Fail to Deliver". Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/high-tech-solar-projects-fail-to-deliver-1434138485. "One big miscalculation was that the power plant requires far more steam to run smoothly and efficiently than originally thought, according to a document filed with the California Energy Commission. Instead of ramping up the plant each day before sunrise by burning one hour's worth of natural gas to generate steam, Ivanpah needs more than four times that much help from fossil fuels to get the plant humming every morning." 
  34. ↑ Approved petition Docketpublicenergy.ca.gov, (PDF)
  35. ↑ Danelski, David (21 October 2015). "It's not easy being green: Ivanpah solar plant near Nevada burns much natural gas, making it a greenhouse gas emitter under state law.". Orange County Register (Santa Ana, California). http://www.ocregister.com/articles/plant-688596-gas-energy.html. 
  36. ↑ Household energy Physics UCI.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 Danko, Pete (June 17, 2015). "Ivanpah Solar Production Up 170% in 2015". Breaking Energy. http://breakingenergy.com/2015/06/17/ivanpah-solar-production-up-170-in-2015/. 
  38. ↑ "ORDER APPROVING a Petition to Modify SOLAR PARTNERS, LLC : Air Quality Conditions of Certification". http://www.energy.ca.gov/sitingcases/ivanpah/compliance/2013-03-13_CEC_Order_12-0213-8_Approving_a_Petition_to_Modify_Air_Quality_Conditions_of_Certification_TN-69908%20.pdf. 
  39. ↑ Zook, David (November 16, 2009). "County Supervisor, Concerned by BrightSource Mega Solar Project Impacts, Calls for Full Review". Best Syndication News. http://www.bestsyndication.com/?q=20091115_solar_project.htm. 
  40. ↑ "DOE Finalizes $1.6 Billion Loan Guarantee for BrightSource Energy". U.S. Department of Energy. 11 April 2011. https://lpo.energy.gov/doe-finalizes-1-6-billion-loan-guarantee-for-brightsource-energy-inc/. 
  41. ↑ Template:Cite tech report
  42. ↑ Template:Cite tech report
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 "NRG's Massive California Solar Plant Finally Making Enough Power". Bloomberg.com. 1 February 2017. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-01/nrg-s-massive-california-solar-plant-finally-making-enough-power. 
  44. ↑ Huge solar plant lags in early production , Associated Press, November 17, 2014
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Danko, Pete (December 15, 2015). "Ivanpah Solar Project Faces Risk of Default on PG&E Contracts". KQED. http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/12/15/nrg-ivanpah-faces-chance-of-default-PGE-contract. 
  46. ↑ Danelski, David (March 17, 2016). "PUC gives Ivanpah plant operators more time to increase output". The Press-Enterprise. http://www.pe.com/articles/plant-797333-ivanpah-solar.html. 
  47. ↑ Sweet, Cassandra (12 June 2015). "High-Tech Solar Projects Fail to Deliver". Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/high-tech-solar-projects-fail-to-deliver-1434138485. "The $2.2 billion Ivanpah solar power project in California's Mojave Desert is supposed to be generating more than a million megawatt-hours of electricity each year. But 15 months after starting up, the plant is producing just 40% of that, according to data from the U.S. Energy Department" 
  48. ↑ Susan, Kraemer (27 April 2016). "How Ivanpah Raised Its Performance In Its Second Year". http://cleantechnica.com/2016/04/27/ivanpah-raised-performance-second-year/. 
  49. ↑ "U.S. Solar Radiation Resource Maps". NREL. http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/old_data/nsrdb/1961-1990/redbook/atlas/. 
  50. ↑ "Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Station (ISEGS) Case Study". CleanEnergy ACTION PROJECT. http://www.cleanenergyactionproject.com/CleanEnergyActionProject/CS.Ivanpah_Solar_Electric_Generating_Station___Concentrating_Solar_Power_Case_Study.html. 
  51. ↑ "Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System". http://www.energy.ca.gov/sitingcases/ivanpah/. 
  52. ↑ "Ivanpah Solar Project Quietly Goes Online – Or Does It?". KCET. 30 January 2014. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/concentrating-solar/ivanpah-solar-project-quietly-goes-online----or-does-it.html. 
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 Staff (19 May 2016). "Mirrors blamed for fire at world's largest solar plant". The Big Story. Associated Press. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/1cd292f7228040228e744fe0ea611b8d/mirrors-blamed-fire-worlds-largest-solar-plant. 
  54. ↑ "Renewables Watch for Operating Day: Monday, June 20, 2016". http://content.caiso.com/green/renewrpt/20160620_DailyRenewablesWatch.pdf. 
  55. ↑ "Renewables Watch for Operating Day: Tuesday, June 07, 2016". http://content.caiso.com/green/renewrpt/20160607_DailyRenewablesWatch.pdf. 
  56. ↑ "PLANT OF THE YEAR: Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System Earns POWER's Highest Honor". Power. August 2014. http://www.powermag.com/ivanpah-solar-electric-generating-system-earns-powers-highest-honor/. 
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 "The Ivanpah solar energy project named Concentrating Solar Power project of the year". REVE. February 22, 2012. http://www.evwind.es/noticias.php?id_not=16757. 
  58. ↑ Lewis, Judith (4 May 2009). "As the climate warms, environmentalists square off over Big Solar's claim to the Mojave Desert". High Country News. http://www.hcn.org/issues/41.8/high-noon/article_view?b_start:int=0&-C=. 
  59. ↑ "California Energy Commission". California Energy Commission. http://docketpublic.energy.ca.gov/PublicDocuments/07-AFC-05C/TN202461_20140616T145736_ISEGS_Monthly_Compliance_Report_No_44__May_2014.pdf. 
  60. ↑ "Avian & Bat Monitoring Plan". California Energy Commission. http://docketpublic.energy.ca.gov/PublicDocuments/07-AFC-05C/TN202617_20140626T131025_Ivanpah_Solar_Electric_System_Avian__Bat_Monitoring_Plan;_20132.pdf. 
  61. ↑ DuHamel, Jonathan (22 August 2014). "Ivanpah solar plant wants to burn more natural gas". Arizona Daily Independent. http://www.arizonadailyindependent.com/2014/08/22/ivanpah-solar-plant-wants-to-burn-more-natural-gas/. 
  62. ↑ Danelski, David (April 16, 2015). "SOLAR POWER: Inland plants boost state to No. 1". The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California). http://www.pe.com/articles/power-764966-solar-california.html. 
  63. ↑ "Ivanpah Temporary Suspension Notice". Federal Government. https://www.scribd.com/doc/53386569/Ivanpah-Temporary-Suspension-Notice. 
  64. ↑ [2]
  65. ↑ California Energy Commission. "Final Staff Assessment of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System". CEC Documents Page. CEC. http://www.energy.ca.gov/sitingcases/ivanpah/documents/index.html#commission. 
  66. ↑ Danelski, David (8 October 2011). "First displaced tortoise released". Press-Enterprise. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20111009-mojave-desert-first-displaced-tortoise-released.ece. 
  67. ↑ Basin and Range Watch. "Desert Tortoise Recovery: Science and Politics Clash". http://www.basinandrangewatch.org/TortoiseTranslocation.html. 
  68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 Kaufmann, K. (2013-11-13). "Palen project raises concerns across Coachella Valley". mydesert.com. http://www.mydesert.com/article/20131109/BUSINESS0302/311090054/Palen-project-raises-concerns-across-Coachella-Valley. 
  69. ↑ "Preventing Bird Deaths at Solar Power Plants, Part 1". Renewable Energy World. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/09/preventing-bird-deaths-at-solar-power-plants-part-1. 
  70. ↑ "Palen Solar Power Project - Compliance". Docketpublic.energy.ca.gov. http://docketpublic.energy.ca.gov/PublicDocuments/09-AFC-07C/TN201977_20140407T161504_Center_Supplemental_Opposition_to_Motion.pdf. 
  71. ↑ Knickmeyer, Ellen (18 August 2014). "Emerging solar plants in Mojave Desert scorch birds in mid-air". The Sun. The Associated Press (San Bernardino County Sun). http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20140818/emerging-solar-plants-in-mojave-desert-scorch-birds-in-mid-air. 
  72. ↑ K Kaufmann (7 April 2014). "Birds going up in smoke at Ivanpah solar project". The Desert Sun. http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2014/04/07/birds-going-smoke-brightsource-energys-ivanpah-project/7448299/. 
  73. ↑ Peck, Morgen (2014-08-20). "Ivanpah Solar Power Tower Is Burning Birds". IEEE Spectrum. https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/green-tech/solar/ivanpah-solar-plant-turns-birds-into-smoke-streamers. 
  74. ↑ Kagan, Rebecca A (2014-06-23). "Avian Mortality at Solar Energy Facilities in Southern California: A Preliminary Analysis". Palen Solar Power Project - Compliance. http://docketpublic.energy.ca.gov/PublicDocuments/09-AFC-07C/TN202538_20140623T154647_Exh_3107_Kagan_et_al_2014.pdf. 
  75. ↑ Kraemer, Susan (2015-04-16). "One Weird Trick Prevents Bird Deaths At Solar Towers" (in en-US). https://cleantechnica.com/2015/04/16/one-weird-trick-prevents-bird-deaths-solar-towers/. 
  76. ↑ Sweet, Cassandra (June 12, 2015). "High-Tech Solar Projects Fail to Deliver". Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/high-tech-solar-projects-fail-to-deliver-1434138485. "Once built, U.S. government biologists found the plant's superheated mirrors were killing birds. In April, biologists working for the state estimated that 3,500 birds died at Ivanpah in the span of a year, many of them burned alive while flying through a part of the solar installment where air temperatures can reach 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit." 
  77. ↑ Peter Fairley, Solar towers don't seem to be the bird-destroyers once thought , IEEE Spectrum, 2 Nov. 2015.
  78. ↑ Sahagun, Louis (September 2, 2016). "This Mojave Desert solar plant kills 6,000 birds a year. Here's why that won't change any time soon". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-solar-bird-deaths-20160831-snap-story.html. 
  79. ↑ Kraemer, Susan (3 September 2014). "For the Birds: How Speculation Trumped Fact at Ivanpah". renewableenergyworld.com. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2014/09/for-the-birds-how-speculation-trumped-fact-at-ivanpah.html. 
  80. ↑ Zerkel, Eric (19 August 2014). "New Solar Power Plants are Incinerating Birds". The Weather Channel. https://weather.com/science/news/solar-plants-birds-20140818. 
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  82. ↑ 82.0 82.1 "Electricity data browser - Ivanpah 1". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/plant/57074. 
  83. ↑ 83.0 83.1 "Electricity data browser - Ivanpah 2". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/plant/57073. 
  84. ↑ 84.0 84.1 "Electricidad data browser - Ivanpah 3". Electricidad Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/plant/57075. 
  85. ↑ "Ivanpah". Loan Programs Office (LPO), Department of Energy (DOE). March 2015. http://energy.gov/lpo/ivanpah. 
  86. ↑ "EuroTrough Helped Cut Ramp-Up Time of China's 100 MW Urat CSP". SolarPACES. https://www.solarpaces.org/eurotrough-cut-ramp-up-in-china-100-mw-urat-csp%E2%80%A8. "... thermal plants require up to four years to ramp-up to 100% operating level..." 

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