By Jack Dini ——Bio and Archives--July 28, 2025

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Ivanpah, which was once the world’s largest solar power plant of its type appears headed for closure just 11 years after opening, under pressure from cheaper green energy sources. It was supposed to last 50 years. (1)

The Ivanpah solar power plant formally opened in 2014 on roughly 5 square miles of federal land near the California-Nevada border. Though it was hailed at the time as a breakthrough moment for clean energy, its power has been struggling to compete with cheaper solar technologies.

President Obama once praised Ivanpah as a shining example of America’s clean energy future. “With projects like this one,” he said at the site of the solar plant just before construction started, “we’re putting Americans to work producing clean home-grown energy.” (2)

His Department of Energy showered $1.6 billion in loan guarantees, as well as $600 million in tax credits on the plant.

According to John Merline, it emits enough CO2 that it will “be required to participate in the state’s cap-and-trade program to reduce carbon emissions. In its first year, Ivanpah emitted........

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