“Revenue Neutral” Solar Ponds

With CO2 tax management and renewable energy tax credits, the solar ponds can be effectively established for zero cost, viz:

$40,000/acre SP construction
+ $20,000/acre ORC pwr equip
$60,000/acre SP build costs
(~$50k/acre free-salt offset)

The build costs for a 100 acre SP (base case) are then $6M. Allowing $1M-$4M for brine conveyance, (Kern County - Mojave Desert), the total costs are $7M-$10M for a 2MWe SP.

A 2MWe SP will offset the TEOR carbon tax ($5M credit at $40/ton), leaving a $2M-$5M balance. Allowing 4MM bbl oil production per GPGT well, a $0.50-$1.25 per bbl-oil renewable energy tax credit would pay for installing the SPs on a revenue neutral basis.