gas up the solar plant

Gas up the solar plant. Solar plant requires gas.    Solar project in CA only produces less than 1/2 expected.

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. . .

One big miscalculation was that the power plant requires far more steam to run smoothly and efficiently than originally thought.  That is  according to a document filed with the California Energy Commission.

Instead of ramping up the plant each day before sunrise by burning one  (1) hour’s worth of natural gas to generate steam, Ivanpah needs more than four (4)  times that much help from fossil fuels to get the plant humming every morning.

Another unexpected problem: not enough sun.

Weather predictions for the area underestimated the amount of cloud cover that has blanketed Ivanpah since it went into service in 2013.

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Firenze Sage:  Clouds,what clouds?   Them that’s in your eyes, bub!

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http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060013723