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 Californiaâ€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) hourâ€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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