When BrightSource was in the preparation phases of Ivanpah, a 400-megawatt solar power plant in the Mojave Desert, the firm ran into opposition from environmentalists since the federal land specifically set aside for the facility was likewise the habitat of the desert tortoise, a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Ivanpah would power 140,000 houses during peak hours, local, and while solar energy proved to be a positive step toward raising renewable energy resources environmentalists were equally concerned the survival of the desert tortoise. The case describes the measures BrightSource took to respond to the dilemmas raised by the environmentalists and build the plant, protecting habitats that are local and addressing both climate change. Business management also faced challenges from the changing economics of creating solar power due to developments in technologies and competing systems. Pupils are requested to consider whether the technology that BrightSource is using, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), is the best pick for the future of the sector, given the cost of competitors' technology, Photovoltaics (PV), had dropped dramatically in the preceding few years. BrightSource additionally had a new thermal storage technology that would permit it to supply electricity on cloudy days, thereby significantly raising output as well as the profitability of future power plants, but investors so far hadn't come on board, citing the danger and expense of the building out the technology.
PUBLICATION DATE: December 09, 2013 PRODUCT #: P84-HCB-ENG
This is just an excerpt. This case is about LEADERSHIP & MANAGING PEOPLE
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