Taxpayer-backed solar plant actually a carbon polluter

[Obiwan]

Well, well...

Taxpayer-backed solar plant actually a carbon polluter

Even as the Obama administration announces another $120 million in grantsto boost solar energy, new reports indicate a centerpiece of the administration's green-energy effort is actually a carbon polluter.

Located in Southern California's Mojave Desert, the $2.2 billion Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System benefited from a $1.6 billion Energy Department loan guarantee, and a $539 million Treasury Department stimulus grant to help pay off the loan.

Yet it is producing carbon emissions at nearly twice the amount that compels power plants and companies to participate in the state's cap-and-trade program.

That's because the plant relies on natural gas as a supplementary fuel.

 

[westwall]

Well, well...

Taxpayer-backed solar plant actually a carbon polluter

Even as the Obama administration announces another $120 million in grantsto boost solar energy, new reports indicate a centerpiece of the administration's green-energy effort is actually a carbon polluter.

Located in Southern California's Mojave Desert, the $2.2 billion Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System benefited from a $1.6 billion Energy Department loan guarantee, and a $539 million Treasury Department stimulus grant to help pay off the loan.

Yet it is producing carbon emissions at nearly twice the amount that compels power plants and companies to participate in the state's cap-and-trade program.

That's because the plant relies on natural gas as a supplementary fuel.

Yup. It's actually producing so little solar power that a year or so ago they applied for permission to increase the natural gas usage to generate power.

"The project's managers, BrightSource Energy and NRG Energy, originally estimated that the plant's main auxiliary boilers would need to run for an hour a day, on average, to allow the plant to capture solar energy efficiently. But after a few months of operation, they're now saying they need to burn more gas, with the boilers running an average of five hours a day.

To that end, the companies have asked the California Energy Commission (CEC) to change the project's license to allow Ivanpah to burn more than 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas a year, and the plant's operators say that change won't have any environmental impact."





Ivanpah Solar Plant Owners Want To Burn a Lot More Natural Gas

 

[Obiwan]

Solar industry grapples with hazardous wastes
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Homeowners on the hunt for sparkling solar panels are lured by ads filled with images of pristine landscapes and bright sunshine, and words about the technology's benefits for the environment — and the wallet.

What customers may not know is that there's a dirtier side.

While solar is a far less polluting energy source than coal or natural gas, many panel makers are nevertheless grappling with a hazardous waste problem. Fueled partly by billions in government incentives, the industry is creating millions of solar panels each year and, in the process, millions of pounds of polluted sludge and contaminated water.


So now Obama is pushing toxic waste...

 

[PaintMyHouse]

Well, well...

Taxpayer-backed solar plant actually a carbon polluter

Even as the Obama administration announces another $120 million in grantsto boost solar energy, new reports indicate a centerpiece of the administration's green-energy effort is actually a carbon polluter.

Located in Southern California's Mojave Desert, the $2.2 billion Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System benefited from a $1.6 billion Energy Department loan guarantee, and a $539 million Treasury Department stimulus grant to help pay off the loan.

Yet it is producing carbon emissions at nearly twice the amount that compels power plants and companies to participate in the state's cap-and-trade program.

That's because the plant relies on natural gas as a supplementary fuel.

Yup. It's actually producing so little solar power that a year or so ago they applied for permission to increase the natural gas usage to generate power.

"The project's managers, BrightSource Energy and NRG Energy, originally estimated that the plant's main auxiliary boilers would need to run for an hour a day, on average, to allow the plant to capture solar energy efficiently. But after a few months of operation, they're now saying they need to burn more gas, with the boilers running an average of five hours a day.

To that end, the companies have asked the California Energy Commission (CEC) to change the project's license to allow Ivanpah to burn more than 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas a year, and the plant's operators say that change won't have any environmental impact."

Ivanpah Solar Plant Owners Want To Burn a Lot More Natural Gas

So, 19 hours a day they don't run on NG, like an NG plant that does so 24 hours a day. BFD.

You little morons need to get with the program. Less (pollution) is more (better).

 

[westwall]

Well, well...

Taxpayer-backed solar plant actually a carbon polluter

Even as the Obama administration announces another $120 million in grantsto boost solar energy, new reports indicate a centerpiece of the administration's green-energy effort is actually a carbon polluter.

Located in Southern California's Mojave Desert, the $2.2 billion Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System benefited from a $1.6 billion Energy Department loan guarantee, and a $539 million Treasury Department stimulus grant to help pay off the loan.

Yet it is producing carbon emissions at nearly twice the amount that compels power plants and companies to participate in the state's cap-and-trade program.

That's because the plant relies on natural gas as a supplementary fuel.

Yup. It's actually producing so little solar power that a year or so ago they applied for permission to increase the natural gas usage to generate power.

"The project's managers, BrightSource Energy and NRG Energy, originally estimated that the plant's main auxiliary boilers would need to run for an hour a day, on average, to allow the plant to capture solar energy efficiently. But after a few months of operation, they're now saying they need to burn more gas, with the boilers running an average of five hours a day.

To that end, the companies have asked the California Energy Commission (CEC) to change the project's license to allow Ivanpah to burn more than 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas a year, and the plant's operators say that change won't have any environmental impact."

Ivanpah Solar Plant Owners Want To Burn a Lot More Natural Gas

So, 19 hours a day they don't run on NG, like an NG plant that does so 24 hours a day. BFD.

You little morons need to get with the program. Less (pollution) is more (better).

I suggest you take a look at the amount of power being generated THROUGHOUT California. Then look at the fact that there has been no increase in that power since Ivanpah was brought online. What exactly does that mean?





California ISO - Todays Outlook