Remove the subsidies and see how many solar and wind projects survive.
Massive Mojave Desert Solar Project Canceled
The developer of a huge proposed solar power project that was once slated to cover 12.5 square miles of still-intact desert habitat has walked away from the idea, according to documents released by the California Energy Commission (CEC). The Calico Solar Project, proposed for land north of Interstate 40 between the hamlets of Ludlow and Newberry Springs, attracted opposition even from die-hard supporters of desert solar projects.
In a letter dated Thursday, developer K Road Power cited "changed market conditions" as the impetus for its dropping the project.
The Calico Solar Project started out as gargantuan even by the optimistic standards of 2009-era desert solar planners. Encompassing an area in excess of 8,000 acres of public lands, the project's original owner Tessera would have covered the landscape with its proprietary "Suncatchers," which consisted of parabolic mirrors that focused sunlight on Stirling engines about the size and noisiness of a Volvo engine. The company expected that its Calico project would generate up to 850 megawatts of power.
Environmental concerns were rife with regard to Calico, even among some groups like the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council who were otherwise steadfast supporters of desert solar projects. (The two groups, along with Defenders of Wildlife, sued in 2012 to halt the project.)
Tessera's technology was nowhere near ready for prime time, with hundreds of moving parts in each Suncatcher generating constant maintenance issues even in the company's closelly watched test site in Maricopa, AZ. The company went belly up in 2010, and K Road bought Calico in December of that year.
https://www.kcet.org/redefine/massive-mojave-...t-canceled
Windmill fires continue be a problem. They are in remote areas and impossible to put out.
Massive Mojave Desert Solar Project Canceled
The developer of a huge proposed solar power project that was once slated to cover 12.5 square miles of still-intact desert habitat has walked away from the idea, according to documents released by the California Energy Commission (CEC). The Calico Solar Project, proposed for land north of Interstate 40 between the hamlets of Ludlow and Newberry Springs, attracted opposition even from die-hard supporters of desert solar projects.
In a letter dated Thursday, developer K Road Power cited "changed market conditions" as the impetus for its dropping the project.
The Calico Solar Project started out as gargantuan even by the optimistic standards of 2009-era desert solar planners. Encompassing an area in excess of 8,000 acres of public lands, the project's original owner Tessera would have covered the landscape with its proprietary "Suncatchers," which consisted of parabolic mirrors that focused sunlight on Stirling engines about the size and noisiness of a Volvo engine. The company expected that its Calico project would generate up to 850 megawatts of power.
Environmental concerns were rife with regard to Calico, even among some groups like the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council who were otherwise steadfast supporters of desert solar projects. (The two groups, along with Defenders of Wildlife, sued in 2012 to halt the project.)
Tessera's technology was nowhere near ready for prime time, with hundreds of moving parts in each Suncatcher generating constant maintenance issues even in the company's closelly watched test site in Maricopa, AZ. The company went belly up in 2010, and K Road bought Calico in December of that year.
https://www.kcet.org/redefine/massive-mojave-...t-canceled
Windmill fires continue be a problem. They are in remote areas and impossible to put out.
