The Ivanpah Solar Generating Station, a $2.2 billion solar mega-project in the desert featuring 170,000 mirrors, failed to meet expectations and became a case study where engineering ambition outpaced economic reality; its complex design, requiring steam boilers on tower tops and constant maintenance, was rendered outdated and economically unviable by the rapidly falling costs of simpler solar panels. Ambition vs. Reality at Ivanpah The Ivanpah Solar Generating Station was an enormous undertakin