Renewables | PV wins out over CSP at Ivanpah
At its inception more than 15 years ago, the Ivanpah solar power plant was envisioned as a facility that would bring advanced technology to help drive the transition to low-cost renewable energy sources. The US Department of Energy (DOE) and Ivanpah’s investors joined forces to build the world’s largest concentrating solar power (CSP) facility, in California’s Mojave Desert.
Ivanpah is a 386 MW solar concentrating thermal power plant consisting of three individual units (see photograph). It demonstrated that CSP technology was a viable and innovative renewable energy source, selling about two-thirds of the power it generates to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), and the rest to Southern California Edison (SCE), under purchase power agreements (PPAs) running until 2039.
Ivanpah proved to be a successful demonstration of CSP technology, however it has been surpassed by solar photovoltaics due to much lower capital and operating costs.
It is much more complicated than PV. Ivanpah, for example, on its 3500 acre site, employs no less than 173 500 heliostats, each with two mirrors, focused on boilers (Rentech type D) located atop three 140 m high towers, which provide steam to Siemens-supplied steam turbines.
One of the potential merits of CSP relative to PV is that it can include thermal energy storage as an inherent feature, however this was not the case for Ivanpah.
In accordance with regulatory requirements, in 2023 PG&E sought proposals for restructuring
or terminating its renewable PPAs with Ivanpah to reduce the cost to its customers. In January 2025, Ivanpah’s owners and the DOE finalised negotiations with PG&E to terminate their two long-term purchase power agreements, allowing DOE to maximise the recovery of its loans and provide savings for California ratepayers. Unit 2, contracted to SCE, is not covered under this agreement. But as of early March 2025 similar discussions were underway between SCE, the plant owners and DOE, with a view to buyout of the contract covering unit 2.
Ivanpah CSP power plant
Regulatory approvals before the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) and at the federal level are underway. When a final order is received, Ivanpah will begin the process of closing its units in early 2026 after more than ten years of providing renewable energy to two of California’s largest utilities. Once deactivated the units will be decommissioned, providing an opportunity for the site to potentially be repurposed for PV electricity generation.
Clean Power 2030 targets by 32 GW
The UK government is forecast to miss it’s revised Clean Power 2030 targets for offshore, onshore and solar PV by a combined 32 GW according to new forecasts from Cornwall Insight. The data, from Cornwall Insight’s GB Benchmark Power Curve, is projecting a shortfall in capacity, despite the government revising down its capacity targets in its ‘Clean Power 2030 Action Plan’, released in December 2024. With a 16 GW shortfall, solar PV is set for the biggest underperformance, reaching 29 GW compared with the 45-47 GW government target. Despite the underperformance, Cornwall Insight’s forecast still represents a 70% increase from 17 GW installed today.
Onshore wind has been boosted by changes in policy, however, growth is 10 GW short of the 27-29 GW goal as planning issues continue to hamper progress of projects at the scale needed.
Offshore wind comes closest to the target, falling just 6 GW short of the 43- 50 GW goal. Despite cost inflation issues the sector has received consistent support through successive Contract for Difference allocation rounds.
The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan included some much-needed detail on infrastructure and grid connections, as well as investment in flexible generation technologies and storage to balance the intermittent generation, which could see an increase in renewables build-out. However, with 2030 only five years away the impact of these reforms may not materialise quick enough to have a substantial impact on the 2030 capacity.
The growing energy demand from data centres, spurred by the government’s push to
Solar PV
Onshore wind
wind
010 Government target 20 GW Forecast capacity
Forecast 2030 installed capacity vs government target. Source: Cornwall Insight Benchmark Power Curve Q4 2024
26 | March 2025|
www.modernpowersystems.com
* UK operational capacity as of June 2024, GW; onshore wind 16 GW; solar 17 GW.
30 45 29 27 17 43 37 40 50
expand AI capabilities, underscores the urgency of renewable energy investment. Without sufficient capacity, the UK grid may fall back on fossil fuels, jeopardising decarbonisation goals. Further uncertainty stems from the lack of clarity around the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA), particularly the potential move away from national wholesale pricing. These reforms would require a comprehensive overhaul of regulations, contracts, and systems, with significant commercial implications for developers. Without clear guidance, developers are hesitant to invest, threatening the achievement of the UK’s clean power targets.
While the forecasts don’t show the 2030 target being met, the buildout would still be an impressive rise from current operational capacity.* This progress will put the electricity sector on track to achieve net zero emissions in the next decade, ahead of the net zero economy-wide target of 2050.
UK projected to miss
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