Big Calif. solar project gets tentative OK from US (BrightSource, $1.4 billion in loan guarantees)

AP on San Diego Union - Tribune ^ | AP

[NormsRevenge]

LOS ANGELES — The Obama administration has given preliminary approval for $1.4 billion in loan guarantees for a massive solar-energy project in California's Mojave Desert.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Monday that BrightSource Energy was in line for the financing help to build solar-energy plants to power 140,000 homes.

...

Environmentalists want the complex relocated because they say it will harm protected desert tortoises. BrightSource has made design changes in an attempt to alleviate environmental concerns.

[NormsRevenge]

stimulus money ??

[NormsRevenge]

Check out the names involved in the PR and lobby efforts.

http://www.brightsourceenergy.com/

FR keyword: brightsource
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/brightsource/index?tab=articles

[NormsRevenge]

CA: Startup with link to governor pushes for plant OK (BrightSource)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2115780/posts

Disputed Solar Energy Project in California Desert Is Dropped
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2343502/posts

[babygene]

Isn’t 140,000,000,000 divided by 140,000 equal to 1,000,000 per home?

[Cheetahcat]

1.4 Billion for Electric to 140,000 homes??

[babygene]

My bad... That was 1.4 million, that would be a mere $100.000 per home.

[Darth Reardon]

Once the federal gov’t gets involved, your first number may be closer.

[bravo whiskey]

does that include buying land for transmission lines? and where are they going to suck up the water in the desert to keep the panels clean and efficient? and what about harming the pristine desert? the mojave is more habitable and accessible than anwr.
shortsighyted ecothug feel good operation using money we don’t have. hey ecothugs if you want to feel better take some pills and see avatar again.

[Rudemeister]

Solar power is not cost competitive with oil. Oil will also be worthless in a few years when liquid fluorine thorium reactors come on-line. They have the potential to create energy so cheap that all other forms of energy production will become irrelevant. This is a colossal waste of money. It should be spent on LFTR’s. Don’t believe me? See this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molten_salt_reactor

[maine-iac7]

I figured the Guvanator had been been bought off - what with all the extra obyummer praise he's been handing out the last few days - even admonishing the rest of us to give the obomination a break -

Was just waiting to see how much the pay off was...

[dragnet2]

Check out the names involved in the PR and lobby efforts.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Chevron” is one name

[CivilWarguy]

FEC records show 9 campaign contributions from Brightsource employees, all to Dems, including 4 to Obama.

No surprise...

[dragnet2]

Oil will also be worthless in a few years when liquid fluorine thorium reactors come on-line.

Don't know about worthless, but I would agree those still invested big in oil, will be worth much less.

[woodro43]

WOW, 140k homes...that won't even make it to Lancaster. Why not build another lake down from Isabella and accomplish the same power source with hydro electric while providing a new water source?

Why not build a medium size nuclear power plant using the Kern River as a water cooling source to power 1 million homes in SoCal?

The envirowackos don't want clean hydro, clean nuclear, and now clean solar because God forbid we disrupt the sand in the middle of nowhere. How can you create 1 million “green jobs” if one can't even put a f-ing shovel in the ground?

[Lokibob]

This isn’t going to make you feel any better, but:
$1,400,000,000 divided by 140,000 homes equals $10,000/home.

.....Bob

[Uncle Miltie]

$1.4B / 140,000 = $10,000 / home.

Gee, ain’t electricity cheap?

[truth_seeker]

“$1,400,000,000 divided by 140,000 homes equals $10,000/home.”

I wonder how $10,000 per home compares with the capital cost for other types of electricity generation, such as coal, natural gas, etc.

People in my area are doing rooftop solar, with claims they can generate enough electricity for their home, but capital cost is closer to $20,000 I seem to recall. Then they get into tax credits, etc. and the net cost escapes me.

[ltc8k6]

Is $1.4B the total cost, though?

Or just startup help?

[truth_seeker]

“Is $1.4B the total cost, though?

Or just startup help?”

I have no idea. I assume until I learn more, that they mean “capital cost.”

[jonrick46]

I wish I had $100K. I would have a good solar system on the roof. I would also have a wind turbine. With all of that alternate energy, it would be spinning my power meter backwards so fast that I could live off the returns.