
$1B solar plant was obsolete before it went online - awb
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-06/a-1-billion-solar-plant-was-obsolete-before-it-ever-went-online
======
rdiddly
Kind of sad that the founder feels obligated to say it's a "tragedy of
mismanagement" or a tragedy of _anything_... as if the story is any more
dramatic or Shakespearean than the simple truth: Probably this method just
isn't as efficient as others. And I mean, we had to actually try building this
thing to find that out, so there's no shame in that.

~~~
willio58
From what I gathered, it seems like it would have been great if it could have
been created in a couple years. But it took too long to the point where it
became less efficient than alternatives.

------
RobLach
Money well spent IMO.

~~~
larnmar
Money terrible spent, just another billion poured down the drain on
inefficient renewable energy technologies that would have been much better
spent developing better technologies.

For a billion dollars you could hire five hundred brilliant (or at least
clever) scientists and pay then each $200K pa for ten years to work on
promising technologies in photovoltaics, ranging from sexy stuff like multiple
exciton generation to prosaic stuff like how to make silicon sheets cheaper.

~~~
pete762
building this thing is part of the whole "developing better technologies"
thing

~~~
larnmar
Sure, in the same way that trying to build a ladder to the moon might
eventually lead to inventing rocketry.

------
deogeo
Most of the article is behind a paywall, so I couldn't find out: More
efficient solar panels have been made since, but has the price of electricity
dropped so much that this plant is now not economically viable?

~~~
Arnt
The plant requires more upkeep than most solar plants.

It sounds strange that a staff of "dozens" would make it unprofitable, though
— most coal/oil/gas plants employ dozens of people _and_ pay for their fuel.

~~~
deogeo
But it's not competing directly with solar plants, but only with the price
it's able to sell electricity at. That there are some new solar plants being
built that are more efficient is irrelevant, at least until there are so many
of them they push down the price of electricity.

~~~
woodandsteel
> at least until there are so many of them they push down the price of
> electricity.

Which will happen long, long before the capital cost of this plant could be
paid off.

~~~
Arnt
Which ought to mean that the company that owns the plant goes bankrupt, the
plant itself is sold by the receivers, and the new owner runs the plant
profitably... IFF its operating cost is low enough, which ought to be those
dozens of staff and the materials they need.

------
s_Hogg
paywalled?

This seems interesting, though. Does the plant just become a stranded asset or
is there still a way to get returns out of it?

~~~
haecceity
TLDR

> Its power cost NV about $135 per ­megawatt-hour, compared with less than $30
> per MWh today at a new Nevada photovoltaic solar farm, according to
> BloombergNEF, which researches fossil fuel alternatives.

There's also a graph that adds to the sadness but you know don't get too
excited.

------
ycombonator
Taxpayers remain on the hook for $737 million in loan guarantees. Another one
that left taxpayers on the hook for $530 mm - Solyndra (1)

(1)[https://www.factcheck.org/2011/10/obamas-solyndra-
problem/](https://www.factcheck.org/2011/10/obamas-solyndra-problem/)

