The largest green energy project with 350 thousand mirrors is being closed: reasons

The largest solar power plant in the US is to be closed due to competition and harm to nature

The American Ivanpah solar power plant, which is the largest of its type in the world, is planned to be closed only 11 years after its opening. This is reported by the Tech Xplore portal.

The Ivanpah power plant was opened in 2014 on the border of California and Nevada. It was considered a major breakthrough in green energy, but today its power cannot compete with cheaper solar technologies.

The power plant uses a technology known as solar thermal, in which 350,000 mirrors reflect sunlight onto the top of a tower, where water is heated and turned into steam, which then drives turbines.

However, the plant failed to produce the planned amount of electricity due to adverse weather conditions. It has also been criticized for its impact on the desert region, including the deaths of birds and turtles.

The Ivanhoe plant was a financial gamble and an environmental disaster. In addition to the deaths of thousands of birds and turtles, the project's construction has destroyed irreplaceable pristine desert habitat along with numerous rare plant species, said Julia Dowell of the Sierra Club.

Pacific Gas & Electric said it has agreed to terminate contracts with Ivanpah owners and close two of the plant's three units starting in 2026. NRG Energy, the owner of Ivanpah, said the project was successful but could not compete with other solar technologies.

Initially, prices were competitive, but over time, new technologies in photovoltaics and batteries led to more efficient and cheaper options for producing clean energy, NRG Energy said.

Thus, the largest solar power plant in the United States will only be able to operate for another 11 years due to competition and environmental concerns.