As energy bills absolutely hammer American families, particularly seniors on fixed incomes struggling to heat their homes this winter, Democrats keep pushing their expensive green agenda. For over a decade, politicians have promised that massive government investments in renewable energy would lower costs and save the planet. (Spoiler alert: they lied.)
But reality has other plans. Time and again, taxpayer-funded eco-projects collapse after burning through billions in subsidies, leaving Americans with nothing but higher bills and broken promises. The latest casualty? It perfectly illustrates why Washington bureaucrats should never pick winners and losers in the energy market.
From Breitbart:
A solar energy plant in California that cost $2.2 billion to build will be shutting down after failing to meet expectations…
After nearly 11 years in operation, the solar plant failed to meet expectations and the technology used is now largely viewed as outdated by green energy experts…
Smeloff said that Ivenpah failed to “scale up” and now exists as a “kind of an obsolete technology [that’s] been outpaced by solar photovoltaic technology.”
The plant has also become an environmental hazard, with Association of Avian Veterinarians noting that it “is believed to be responsible for at least 6,000 bird deaths each year.”
That devastating assessment from Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, refers to California’s Ivanpah Solar Power Facility, which will shut down in 2026 after burning through $2.2 billion, including $1.6 billion in federal loan guarantees courtesy of the Obama administration. (Yes, the same president who said energy prices would “necessarily skyrocket.”) When Barack Obama’s Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz championed this project in 2011, he called it “an example of how America is becoming a world leader in solar energy.”
Instead? It became a world-class example of bureaucratic incompetence.
The Mojave Desert facility, with its 173,500 computer-controlled mirrors and three 459-foot towers, was supposed to revolutionize solar energy. But after operating since 2014, this technological marvel has been declared obsolete. Here’s the kicker: the complex system of mirrors reflecting sunlight to heat fluids and create steam couldn’t compete with simple photovoltaic panels—you know, the kind regular Americans put on their rooftops without billion-dollar subsidies.
A Monument to Government Inefficiency
Alternative energy consultant Edward Smeloff explained the convoluted system to reporters: “The mirrors reflect heat from the sun up to a receiver, which is mounted on top of the tower. That heats a fluid. It creates steam that spins a conventional steam turbine.”
Then he added the understatement of the century: “It is complicated.”
That’s Washington logic in a nutshell. Why use a simple, proven solution when you can spend billions on a Rube Goldberg contraption? While private companies were quietly improving standard solar panel technology, the feds bet your money on what essentially became the world’s most expensive mirror collection. The technology was already becoming outdated when the plant opened, but bureaucrats pushed ahead anyway. Because of course they did.
Wildlife Pays the Price
Ready for the dirty secret environmental activists don’t want to discuss? This “green” energy plant kills approximately 6,000 birds every year. These birds get literally fried in mid-air when they fly through the concentrated beams of reflected sunlight reaching 1,000 degrees.
Congratulations, environmentalists—you built a solar-powered bird barbecue. Mother Nature must be so proud.
While conservatives have long advocated for genuine environmental stewardship (clean water, clean air, common sense), the left’s version involves incinerating thousands of birds while claiming moral superiority. It’s the perfect metaphor for progressive environmental policy—all talk, devastating results.
Key Takeaways
• Obama’s $1.6 billion taxpayer-backed Ivanpah solar plant closes in 2026 after wasting $2.2 billion total
• The “green” facility killed approximately 6,000 birds annually while failing to deliver promised energy efficiency
• Private sector solar technology outpaced this government boondoggle, proving free markets beat bureaucratic planning
• Trump’s criticism of the “Green New Scam” is validated as another subsidized renewable project collapses
