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Over $2B California Solar Plant Built To Last, Now Closing Over Inefficiency

Published

41 mins ago

3 minute read

 

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By Hailey Gomez

The partially taxpayer-funded Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in California’s Mojave Desert is set to shut down in 2026 due to inefficiency in generating solar energy, according to the New York Post.

The $2.2 billion plant, which features three 459-foot towers, was greenlit in 2010 and completed in 2014. According to the New York Post the closure stems from the site being “outpaced by solar photovoltaic technology” and proving both inefficient and costly. The shutter of the site comes more than a decade ahead of its original 2039 end date, according to the Associated Press.

Speculation about Ivanpah’s early closure began in January, when Pacific Gas & Electric announced an agreement with the plant’s owners to terminate its contracts.

“Ivanpah Solar was built when developers were investing in many different types of clean energy. The goal was to find efficient and affordable technologies to reduce the need for greenhouse gas-emitting fossil fuels,” PG&E wrote in a January press statement.

“The technology had worked on a smaller scale in Europe. Spain had several concentrating solar projects of up to 20 megawatts. In the 2000s and 2010s, various private companies invested in large-scale concentrating solar power in the United States. But over time, solar photovoltaic technology raced ahead of its rival in affordability,” the press statement continued.

Funds for the massive plant partially came from former President Barack Obama’s Department of Energy, which in 2011 issued $1.6 billion in three federal loan guarantees under former Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. At the 2014 opening, Moniz touted federal support for the project, calling it “a shining example” of America’s leadership in solar energy.

“The Ivanpah project is a shining example of how America is becoming a world leader in solar energy,” said Secretary Moniz, as reported by PBS. “As the President made clear in the State of the Union, we must continue to move toward a cleaner energy economy, and this project shows that building a clean energy economy creates jobs, curbs greenhouse gas emissions, and fosters American innovation.”

In recent years, California has faced mounting problems with solar energy and refineries. In August 2024, major rooftop solar company SunPower filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware after struggling with issues like California’s rooftop solar subsidy programs and high interest rates.

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Google Admits Biden White House Pressured Content Removal, Promises to Restore Banned YouTube Accounts

Business / 41 mins ago

Over $2B California Solar Plant Built To Last, Now Closing Over Inefficiency

Business / 52 mins ago

Google says Biden admin ‘pressed’ it to censor some COVID-19 content

Business

Google Admits Biden White House Pressured Content Removal, Promises to Restore Banned YouTube Accounts

Published on September 24, 2025

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By Dan Frieth

Google admits bending to political pressure, but only long after the damage was already done

After years of denying bias, Google now concedes that it gave in to pressure from the Biden White House to remove content that did not breach its own rules.
The admission comes alongside a promise to restore access to YouTube accounts permanently removed for political speech related to COVID-19 and elections, topics where government officials had applied behind-the-scenes pressure to control the narrative.
This move follows sustained scrutiny from the House Judiciary Committee, which Reclaim The Net covered extensively, led by Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), who issued a subpoena and spearheaded an investigation that revealed the extent of government influence on content moderation decisions at Google.
In a letter from its legal representative, Google confirmed that it faced pressure from the federal government to suppress lawful speech.
We obtained a copy of the letter for you here.
Google revealed that it had been contacted multiple times by top federal officials regarding content on its platforms, even when that content did not break any rules.
The company stated that “Senior Biden Administration officials, including White House officials, conducted repeated and sustained outreach to Alphabet and pressed the Company regarding certain user-generated content related to the COVID-19 pandemic that did not violate its policies.”
According to the company, this outreach took place in a broader political climate that made it difficult to operate independently.
Google noted that “The political environment during the pandemic created significant pressure on platforms, including YouTube, to address content that some deemed harmful.”
While describing the situation, Google made clear its disapproval of such efforts, stating bluntly that “This pressure was – and remains – unacceptable and wrong.”
In response to this period of politicized enforcement, the company said it is now taking steps to reverse prior censorship decisions.
As part of that process, Google confirmed that “Reflecting the Company’s commitment to free expression, YouTube will provide an opportunity for all creators to rejoin the platform if the company terminated their channels for repeated violations of COVID-19 and elections integrity policies that are no longer in effect.”
The letter also clarified YouTube’s approach to content moderation, explicitly rejecting the use of outside arbiters. “YouTube does not use third-party fact checkers to determine whether content should be removed or labeled,” the company said.
Acknowledging the role of political diversity on its platform, Google stated that “YouTube values conservative voices on its platform. These creators have extensive reach and play an important role in civic discourse.”
The company concluded with a broader statement rejecting government interference in lawful online speech, saying that “The federal government should not play a role in pressuring private companies to take action on lawful speech.”
The revelations echo findings in the Murthy v. Missouri case, where lower courts found that federal agencies had taken on a role similar to an “Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth.’” While the Supreme Court dismissed the case on procedural grounds, the core issues around government pressure on speech remain unresolved.
The investigation into Google is part of a broader probe into how tech firms handled information related to the 2020 election, COVID-19, and high-profile political topics such as Hunter Biden’s laptop. The committee’s findings show a pattern of censorship aligned with political objectives.
You read Reclaim The Net because you believe in something deeper than headlines; you believe in the enduring values of free speech, individual liberty, and the right to privacy. 
Every issue we publish is part of a larger fight: preserving the principles that built this country and protecting them from erosion in the digital age.
With your help, we can do more than simply hold the line: we can push back. We can shine a light on censorship, expose growing surveillance overreach, and give a voice to those being silenced.
If you’ve found any value in our work, please consider becoming a supporter.
Your support helps us expand our reach, educate more people, and continue this work.
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Business

Google says Biden admin ‘pressed’ it to censor some COVID-19 content

Published on September 23, 2025

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From The Center Square

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As proof that Youtube “takes seriously the importance of protecting free expression,” Alphabet promised to allow any creators that it permanently deplatformed due to content about election integrity or COVID-19 to rejoin.

Senior Biden administration officials pressured Google to remove COVID-19-related content that did not violate YouTube’s policies but the administration considered alarming, new information reveals.

Following a subpoena issued by the House Judiciary Committee’s, Alphabet Inc. – the company which owns Google, Youtube, and other platforms – said that former President Joe Biden and his officials “created a political atmosphere that sought to influence the actions of platforms based on their concerns regarding misinformation.”

The administration, according to Alphabet, conducted “repeated and sustained outreach” and “pressed” the company to remove “user-generated content related to the COVID-19 pandemic that did not violate its policies.”

“While the reliance on health authorities in this context was well-intentioned, [Alphabet] recognizes it should never come at the expense of public debate on these important issues,” Alphabet’s Tuesday letter said.

As proof that Youtube “takes seriously the importance of protecting free expression,” Alphabet promised to allow any creators that it permanently deplatformed due to content about election integrity or COVID-19 to rejoin.

The company also reaffirmed that Youtube will not use third-party fact checkers, unlike other companies operating social media platforms like Meta which have done so in the past.

Meta announced in January that it would end its fact-checking program and censorship policies after investigations revealed the company had acquiesced to pressure from the Biden administration to adopt those measures.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, called Alphabet’s response “another victory in the fight against censorship.”

“We will continue to hold Big Tech accountable,” Jordan added in social media posts Tuesday. “All the above are MASSIVE wins for the American people, the First Amendment, and freedom. We won’t stop fighting to protect free speech.”

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