[johnp314]

It is more than a little disappointing that a solar plant in the desert cannot survive. While birds, who were killed at the plant by the thousands each year are rejoicing, those of us who seek a cleaner form of energy have been dealt a significant setback. Can industrial scale solar be made to work barring some new more efficient method to turn light into electricity?

[pfdietz]

It's not efficiency, it's capex. Ivanpah is solar thermal which was soundly defeated by photovoltaics and, now, batteries. Ivanpah's technology was inherently more expensive than PV, and its remaining advantage, ability to store thermal energy to extend generation into the evening, has been rendered less valuable by cheaper batteries.