The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, a $2.2 billion solar complex, has come on-line in the sunny Mohave desert. The project, owned by NRG Energy, Inc., Google Inc., and Brightsource Energy, and constructed by Bechtel Corp. , uses solar-thermal technology, which means that 350,000 large mirrors concentrate sunlight on boiler towers to create electricity. The cost to build and operate the solar power plant is more than two-times the cost of a conventional coal or natural gas plant, but the price is dramatically declining and meets California’s requirements for utilities to generate one-third of their electricity from solar and other renewable sources by 2020.
Is there are reasonable ROI on smaller scale solar programs that could potentially be installed on rooftops of mid or high rise buildings?