Bill Weir on the Biggest Solar Farm Closing: ‘For Opponents to Solar Energy, This Will Be Seen as a Testament to Wasted Tax Dollars’

BOLDUAN A desert solar ░░░░░░░░ once hailed as the ░░░░░░░░ of solar and clean ░░░░░░░░ now the owners of ░░░░░░░░ giant field of mirrors ░░░░░░░░ the Mojave Desert have ░░░░░░░░ it s closing down ░░░░░░░░ s Bill Weir is ░░░░░░░░ with it It is ░░░░░░░░ to look at Bill ░░░░░░░░ what are you learning ░░░░░░░░ all this WEIR It ░░░░░░░░ like something out of ░░░░░░░░ sci fi film If ░░░░░░░░ ve ever driven from ░░░░░░░░ to Los Angeles you ░░░░░░░░ have seen this on ░░░░░░░░ border in the Mojave ░░░░░░░░ the Ivanpah concentrated solar ░░░░░░░░ There s hundreds of ░░░░░░░░ of mirrors that use ░░░░░░░░ to reflect the Sun ░░░░░░░░ energy as the Sun ░░░░░░░░ at these three giant ░░░░░░░░ bigger than the Statue ░░░░░░░░ Liberty They boil water ░░░░░░░░ creates steam to create ░░░░░░░░ And when it was ░░░░░░░░ in 2014 it was ░░░░░░░░ of the cutting edge ░░░░░░░░ for a cleaner energy ░░░░░░░░ But it turns out ░░░░░░░░ those mirrors are really ░░░░░░░░ to move in the ░░░░░░░░ right there And boiling ░░░░░░░░ and doing all of ░░░░░░░░ is super complicated Oh ░░░░░░░░ by the way that ░░░░░░░░ heat would fry birds ░░░░░░░░ flight as they flew ░░░░░░░░ the paths It was ░░░░░░░░ a threat to the ░░░░░░░░ tortoise So a lot ░░░░░░░░ groups hated this thing ░░░░░░░░ now it looks like ░░░░░░░░ are winding it down ░░░░░░░░ now about a billion ░░░░░░░░ a half a little ░░░░░░░░ a federal loan money ░░░░░░░░ into it Unclear how ░░░░░░░░ of that will get ░░░░░░░░ back Of course policy ░░░░░░░░ the Biden Administration tried ░░░░░░░░ Obama tried a lot ░░░░░░░░ all of the above ░░░░░░░░ energy technology Trump is ░░░░░░░░ to gut all that ░░░░░░░░ So for opponents to ░░░░░░░░ energy this will be ░░░░░░░░ as a as a ░░░░░░░░ to wasted tax dollars ░░░░░░░░ when it was built ░░░░░░░░ one could imagine that ░░░░░░░░ voltaic that the panels ░░░░░░░░ turn sunlight into electricity ░░░░░░░░ boiling water would be ░░░░░░░░ gobsmackingly cheap Cheap as ░░░░░░░░ fence panel basically if ░░░░░░░░ re building a house ░░░░░░░░ now So that ultimately ░░░░░░░░ what killed Ivanpah.”