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Obama’s Solar Plant in Mojave Shuts Down: $2.2 Billion Wasted
The Ivanpah project, launched 11 years ago with taxpayer money, deemed a failure. The station will become scrap metal.
In California’s Mojave Desert, one of the largest and most expensive solar power plants in U.S. history — Ivanpah — is ceasing operations. The project was launched in 2013 with the support of Barack Obama’s administration. The U.S. government allocated $2.2 billion for its implementation, promoting it as a breakthrough in green energy.
The 8-kilometer-long station consisted of three towers and nearly 350,000 mirrors reflecting sunlight. It was expected to supply electricity to over 140,000 homes and become a symbol of the transition to renewable energy.
Reality, however, turned out differently. The technology proved unsuitable for stable power generation: the plant produced less than half of the projected capacity, and maintenance costs rose sharply. The station suffered frequent technical failures and was highly vulnerable to weather conditions.
Another factor was market changes — solar panels have become significantly cheaper in recent years, and traditional photovoltaic stations proved to be far more efficient. Ivanpah, in contrast, remained bulky, expensive, and outdated — failing to reach profitability.
Despite years of modernization attempts, the project was declared ineffective. Authorities decided to shut it down. What remains is a giant structure — a symbol of a failed green revolution — now just scrap metal in the desert.
Experts call Ivanpah “a lesson in costly optimism,” reminding us that scale and intentions do not guarantee success without actual efficiency and market adaptation.
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