Looks like the idea of using heliostat for electricity is getting worse.
When I reported on the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System last June, we were waiting for it to begin delivering 377 MW of electricity to PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric) customers. The plant, which was built by Bechtel, uses more than 170,000 mirrors (that’s NOT a typo) to concentrate the sun’s energy on three (3) solar steam generators some 450 feet up in the air. That steam runs generators to produce electricity for PG&E customers.
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But, at the time I wrote that blog post, Ivanpah was only delivering 40% of what was promised. Now, that operation has improved- but not enough. It’s only meeting some 65% of its promises. And, the feds (that’s really you and me) have provided some $1.5 billion (out of the total project cost of $ 2.2 billion) in this plant’s construction. The other two backers? Alphabet (the new name for Google) and NRG Energy.
And, the plant has needed more natural gas to keep the system operational than promised. Natural gas was to have been used for 1 hour to provide the steam before sunrise- but the operations clearly needed four (4) hours of natural gas firing to develop optimal conditions for the system.
Well, now PG&E is petitioning the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to make this shortfall “disappear”. Of course, it’s not going to disappear, but PG&E doesn’t want the system shut down; it hopes CPUC will grant Ivanpah another year to get its act together.
Why? Because as little power (that magic 65% of operational capacity) is critical for PG&E. The utility is required to deliver 1/3 of its power from solar, wind, and other renewable sources. (That requirement gets increased to 50% by 2030!) And, the Ivanpah facility is a vital component to ensure that PG&E meets those commitments.
But, right now, this plant is costing consumers money. Because PG&E passes along the higher costs of Ivanpah to its customers. How high? How about $ 200 a megawatt-hour in the summer and $ 135 the rest of the year. As opposed to the contract rate for other solar plants of $57 per megawatt hour or $ 35 it costs natural gas facilities to produce electricity in the state.
What would you do?
We all want alternate energy to succeed but this, obviously, is not the way to do it. So now – lower the standard? Give them the year they think they need? Hard decision, when it’s up to the taxpayer to fund this.
They’ve already been given a reprieve, Alana. I want new technologies to succeed, too- but, at least in private industry, that usually means at the expense of the enterprise. In this case, it seems to be coming at the expense of Californians.
Not the best day for solar energy | https://t.co/mCXsbodzWS via @Adjuvancy