Feb 12, 2025 06:00:00

World's largest solar power plant, accused of 'burning 6,000 birds a year,' announces closure of some facilities

By

Ken Lund

While solar power generation is an environmentally friendly, clean energy source that reduces the consumption of fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases, it can also be criticized for its impact on the surrounding nature and ecosystems. The Ivanpah Solar Power Plant, built in 2014 as a rare type of solar power plant that concentrates sunlight, has long been criticized for causing birds to spontaneously combust and kill them with concentrated sunlight, and announced that it would close part of the facility 11 years after construction due to financial difficulties.

NRG Update on Ivanpah Solar Power Plant | NRG Energy
https://www.nrg.com/insights/sustainability/nrg-update-on-ivanpah-ppa-buyout.html

11 years after a celebrated opening, massive solar plant faces a bleak future in the Mojave Desert | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/california-solar-energy-ivanpah-birds-tortoises-mojave-6d91c36a1ff608861d5620e715e1141c

This Solar Plant Accidentally Incinerates Up to 6,000 Birds a Year : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/this-solar-plant-accidentally-incinerates-up-to-6-000-birds-a-year

The Ivanpah Solar Thermal Power Plant was built in 2014 as the world's largest solar thermal power plant in the Mojave Desert , which spans California and Nevada in the southwestern United States. While photovoltaic power generation is a power generation method that converts sunlight into electricity, solar thermal power generation is a system that converts sunlight into energy using the heat obtained by concentrating sunlight.

At the Ivanpah Solar Thermal Power Plant, more than 100,000 heliostats are installed around a 140-meter-tall power tower, as shown in the image below. A heliostat is a device that reflects sunlight in a specific direction, and by concentrating solar energy from a large number of heliostats on the boiler in the power tower, water is boiled and a steam turbine is driven.

by CanyonMike1

Since the Ivanpah Solar Power Plant began operation, there have been frequent incidents of birds flying into the plant and catching fire due to the heat generated by the plant, due to the system's mechanism of collecting sunlight and generating heat. Birds that fly into the plant are called 'storymers.' BrightSource Energy, which developed the plant, announced that 1,000 birds die annually, while experts at environmental protection groups estimate that 28,000 birds die annually due to reflected sunlight, leading to criticism of the plant.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , the Ivanpah Solar Power Plant is very bright because it reflects and collects sunlight, attracting insects that are attracted to the light. When the insects are attracted, it attracts birds that feed on the insects, and the entire plant may function as a giant trap. In addition, the Ivanpah Solar Power Plant is located in an area along the Pacific Flyway, a major north-south flight route for migratory birds, and this route is used by many birds, including protected species, which has also been a problem. As a result of the investigation, the Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that the number of birds killed by the Ivanpah Solar Power Plant is '6,000 birds per year.'

The Ivanpah solar power plant faces not only problems due to its impact on wildlife, but also financial difficulties due to competition from cheaper, clean energy sources.

NRG Energy , the project's largest investor, said in a statement that 'while we have successfully demonstrated concentrated solar power technology, we have been overtaken by solar power, which has much lower capital and operating costs in producing clean energy,' and announced that it will begin the process of closing the generating unit in early 2026. In addition, Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), which had a contract to purchase approximately two-thirds of the electricity generated from the Ivanpah Solar Power Plant, announced on January 17, 2025 that 'PG&E is continually seeking to reduce costs for our customers and is evaluating all aspects of our business. This effort includes a review of our power purchase agreements across clean energy, with the Ivanpah Solar Power Plant being one example. We have determined that terminating the agreement at this time will save our customers money compared to the cost of maintaining the agreement through 2039,' and announced the end of the power purchases scheduled for 2039.

Julia Dowell of the Sierra Club , a US conservation organization, criticized the project, saying, 'The Ivanpah Solar Power Plant has been a financial waste and an environmental disaster. Not only has the project killed thousands of birds and turtles, it has cleared untouched desert and destroyed many rare plant species. The Sierra Club is a strong supporter of innovative clean energy solutions to transition away from fossil fuels, but the Ivanpah Solar Power Plant demonstrates that not all renewable energy is desirable.'

The Ivanpah Solar Power Plant has three generating units, but two of them are expected to be closed due to the termination of their contract with PG&E.

On the social site Hacker News, some people have questioned the opinion of environmental protection groups that '600 million birds die every year from colliding with building glass' and 'the number of birds electrocuted by electric wires or drawn by cars is much greater.' On the other hand, some people have pointed out that there is a problem with the design of the Ivanpah Solar Power Plant, because the Crescent Dunes solar power plant built in Nevada does not need to run heliostats all the time due to a system that stores thermal energy, and measures have been taken to reduce accidents such as birds passing by and being burned.