This is why we NEED Donald Trump----another absolutely STUPID Obama business venture!

Let's don't even think about Solyndra! We gave him that one and kind of let him get by with that fiasco.

Now, there's Ivanpah! This is the kind of waste and abuse Trump talks about and the absolute stupidity of our government leaders who haven't got a clue.

Once again, they have been duped by crony corporations to invest in Something Big.

Obama-Backed Solar Plant Could Be Shut Down For Not Producing Enough Energy

dailycaller.com...

Ivanpah, which got a $1.6 billion loan guarantee from the Obama administration, only produced a fraction of the power state regulators expected it would. The plant only generated 45 percent of expected power in 2014 and only 68 percent in 2015, according to government data.

Ivanpah — which is owned by BrightSource Energy, NRG Energy and Google — uses more than 170,000 large mirrors, or heliostats, to reflect sunlight towards water boilers set atop 450-foot towers that create steam to turn giant turbines and generate electricity.

The plant was financed by $1.6 billion in loan guarantees from the Department of Energy in 2011. When the solar plant opened in 2014, it was hailed as a great achievement by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.

Now, if that's not enough to make you sick, this probably will:

The Big Investors, beside the federal government, are wealthy California corporations Google and NRG Energy. ( I can guess who they support politically, can't you?)

Do you think these Big Corporate Obama Cronies actually have or will lose money in this investment? lololololol!!!

World's largest solar plant applying for federal grant to pay off federal loan

www.foxnews.com...

After already receiving a controversial $1.6 billion construction loan from U.S. taxpayers, the wealthy investors of a California solar power plant now want a $539 million federal grant to pay off their federal loan.

"This is an attempt by very large cash generating companies that have billions on their balance sheet to get a federal bailout, i.e. a bailout from us - the taxpayer for their pet project," said Reason Foundation VP of Research Julian Morris. "It's actually rather obscene."

The Ivanpah solar electric generating plant is owned by Google and renewable energy giant NRG, which are responsible for paying off their federal loan. If approved by the U.S. Treasury, the two corporations will not use their own money, but taxpayer cash to pay off 30 percent of the cost of their plant, but taxpayers will receive none of the millions in revenues the plant will generate over the next 30 years.

"They're already paying less than the market rate," said Morris, author of a lengthy report detailing alleged cronyism and corruption in the Obama administration's green energy programs. "Now demanding or asking for a subsidy in the form of a grant directly paying off the loan is an egregious abuse."

Obama, politicians (state and federal), crony corporations that are also Big Donors, play with OUR money and We The People just get it in the rear year after year after year.

Government grant money...that's money from you and me...going to companies like Google that get to invest in pet projects that don't work, then fail, then get to get bailed out by me and you again!!!

And let's don't mention the fact that this stupid idea has killed thousands of birds and blinds pilots flying over the area.

Come on Donald! Help us out here, man! We need you. The American taxpayer needs you! We are sick of politicians, crony donor corporations that line their pockets and the pockets of Obama and his cronies, for pie in the sky!.....then get government (me and you) bailouts!

originally posted by: queenofswords

Now, there's Ivanpah! This is the kind of waste and abuse Trump talks about and the absolute stupidity of our government leaders who haven't got a clue.

Ivanpah. Wasn't that one of Trump's wives?

From the description of how this plant functions, it seems like a middle school science project, upscale several thousand times. They actually procured funding for this?

originally posted by: dothedew
From the description of how this plant functions, it seems like a middle school science project, upscale several thousand times. They actually procured funding for this?

This one would be an ideal candidate to research?

Who is involved in this company? Who do they donate to? Who sits on the boards of directors? What other companies do they get federal money for? In other words, the long money trail would be interesting to research.

Who are the political movers and shakers whose pockets were lined....or will be lined after leaving office.

I would love to be given Big Bucks to build something and after playing around with it, get all my money back if it fails. In the interim, I get to keep millions! (as long as I promise to donate some of it back to the politicians that helped me.)

a reply to: queenofswords

I believe Obama plans to pay for this from sales of his new clean energy car.

He just has to find a manufacturer who can make 12 foot rubber bands.

It produced 45% and 68% of expected energy output. I hardly call that a fraction of expected output.

I somewhat agree that government finances can be allocated more cautiously it always can but the world needs projects like this. From what I gather it was somewhat a success.

I'm correct in thinking this was a pilot, a test run so to speak on a new method of harnessing a renewable energy source. Correct?

I find it funny when people conplain about a leader who values scientific endeavours. Maybe the finances are wrong,possibly corrupt but somebody has to do the R & D and considering energy production is a national matter it shouldn't be suprising federal government has it's self involved.

Nah, Trump will invest our money in really profitable, important projects, like steaks, bottled water, and neckties.

originally posted by: kaylaluv

Nah, Trump will invest our money in really profitable, important projects, like steaks, bottled water, and neckties.

I like steaks!

The neck ties would be cool too if they came with a piece of lemon.

Ivanpah uses a lot of natural gas and water.

Hmmm.

The info is a bit cloudy and they need the rain.

The project's managers, BrightSource Energy and NRG Energy, originally estimated that the plant's main auxiliary boilers would need to run for an hour a day, on average, to allow the plant to capture solar energy efficiently. But after a few months of operation, they're now saying they need to burn more gas, with the boilers running an average of five hours a day.

To that end, the companies have asked the California Energy Commission (CEC) to change the project's license to allow Ivanpah to burn more than 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas a year, and the plant's operators say that change won't have any environmental impact.

Ivanpah Solar Plant Owners Want To Burn a Lot More Natural Gas

And here's the master BS artist in 2010.....

a reply to: queenofswords

This man's lack of experience in the business world has proven again and again his inability to make sound decisions. It's absurd that they get the loan, pay down a portion and then want a hand out to complete more than a third of the original loan.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: queenofswords

I believe Obama plans to pay for this from sales of his new clean energy car.

He just has to find a manufacturer who can make 12 foot rubber bands.

Too hilarious!

Perfect description of Obama's business acumen! He's a real deal maker, isn't he!

originally posted by: RAY1990
It produced 45% and 68% of expected energy output. I hardly call that a fraction of expected output.

I somewhat agree that government finances can be allocated more cautiously it always can but the world needs projects like this. From what I gather it was somewhat a success.

I'm correct in thinking this was a pilot, a test run so to speak on a new method of harnessing a renewable energy source. Correct?

I find it funny when people conplain about a leader who values scientific endeavours. Maybe the finances are wrong,possibly corrupt but somebody has to do the R & D and considering energy production is a national matter it shouldn't be suprising federal government has it's self involved.

So 4/10ths or 6/10ths are not fractions to you?

OK technically they are incorrect let us correct them.

2/5ths 3/5ths there, now that they are reduced they are in fact fractions, of the amount.

a reply to: Sargeras

Lol it said a fraction if you wanna be knit picky and each example you gave is multiples as in fractions.

it produced 45% output and 68% output. It would be better implied that the plant produced nearly half and just over 2/3 respectively.

You know fine well it is worded in a way to imply the plant produced a miniscule amount of energy compared to what was promised. Don't you?

This is the problem with big government or even socialist government.

Safety nets.

There is no risk to investors anymore. Not if government is going to underwrite every investment opportunity.

And if there is no risk, there is no drive to succeed. The investors never have to push for success because they never have to worry about going broke. Our money, tax payer money, covers their losses.

If investors actually had to risk their futures on new ideas, we'd probably see more drive, more urgency in succeeding.

a reply to: xuenchen

I thought about that, too, when I saw the amount of water needed. Hasn't California been experiencing a severe drought in recent years?

Nobody seems to think more than one step at a time. Birds by the thousands have died, huge mirrors are blinding pilots that fly over, and big water usage in a drought area? Oh, well, as long as the movers and shakers get their millions from The Taxpayers, I guess We The People should just go blind ourselves.

a reply to: queenofswords

Isn't it ironic that you would highlight a supposed "failure" of Obama and say that is why we need a man that bankrupted casinos?

a reply to: queenofswords

So you're going to shill advocate for the fossil fuel industry because a solar plant has only managed to produce about %70 of the planned power?

Guardian - US taxpayers subsidising world's biggest fossil fuel companies

A proposed Shell petrochemical refinery in Pennsylvania is in line for $1.6bn (£1bn) in state subsidy, according to a deal struck in 2012 when the company made an annual profit of $26.8bn.

ExxonMobil’s upgrades to its Baton Rouge refinery in Louisiana are benefitting from $119m of state subsidy, with the support starting in 2011, when the company made a $41bn profit.

A jobs subsidy scheme worth $78m to Marathon Petroleum in Ohio began in 2011, when the company made $2.4bn in profit.

Maybe you'd care to comment on the billions of additional subsidies being given to fossil fuel companies since Obama has been in office too?

IB Times - US Fossil Fuel Subsidies Increase 'Dramatically' Despite Climate Change Pledge

In 2009, the G20 group of nations, which includes the United States, pledged to phase out “inefficient fossil fuel subsidies” to curb greenhouse gas emissions and tackle anthropogenic climate change. However, according to a new report, not only is the U.S. government providing over $20 billion a year to oil, gas and coal producers, the amount has increased by 35 percent since President Barack Obama took office in 2009.

Why would we want to subsidize the development of new energy sources when we can just continue to subsidize the Kochs of the world to the tune of exponentially more for a few more generations?

a reply to: DBCowboy

They could also just file for bankruptcy. At least Trump has a lot of experience with that.

a reply to: theantediluvian



Well at least they won't go bankrupt and kill off jobs.

I agree- it's unacceptable, irresponsible, and in all likelihood, crooked from beginning to end. Hopefully we can at least stop them from getting more of our dollars to pay off their loan.

a reply to: xuenchen

But I've gotta say, after checking out that video- Looks like he's aged about 25 years in the last 6. Maybe the stress of trying to keep all the stories and lies straight, and having the right answers ready to go every minute of every day... I imagine most nights, his dreams are nothing but press conferences full of tough questions.

The stress must be a killer. You reap what you sow.