Taylor, Phil "An Ivanpah Power Tower" 1/19/15 via eenews. Public Domain.
Where: The story comes directly from the Associated Press, a nonprofit news agency who operates 243 news bureaus across 120 countries. Their work is used by thousands of newspapers, TV stations, and radio shows across the globe, and is published in numerous online outlets.
Who: Ellen Knickmeyer is the primary author, bringing her experience as an Associated Press and Washington Post bureau chief. She is now an environmental reporter for the AP in San Fransisco, and continues working as a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal.
When: Published on August 18th, 2014, this is the story that started it all. This story was widely quoted in the media and the 28,000 deaths figure it published was used across the globe.
What: The original article on the controversy, it represents almost all of the stakeholders in the controversy from the company BrightSource energy to federal agencies tasked with investigating the claims made by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Where: IEEE Spectrum, a professional journal about electrical engineering and technology in publication since 1964. It has received various awards including the Utne Independent Press award for Science/Technology Coverage and held the title of the National Magazine Awards "General Excellence Among Thought Leader Magazines" in 2012.
Who: The author is Morgen Peck, a freelance technology writer who writes pieces for IEEE Spectrum, Scientific American, and other publications such as BBC Future. Her background in the field extends for several years and writes primarily about engineering and technology such as cryptocurrency.
When: Published on August 20th, 2014, this article is one of the early pieces about the controversy, using original AP figures and information.
What: The piece is written to inform the IEEE Spectrum readers about the controversy unfolding the in Mojave Desert, but editorializes the event somewhat, using a graphic description of a potential bird's death to grab the reader's attention.
Where: This article comes from the same publication as the first source,IEEE Spectrum, a professional journal about electrical engineering and technology in publication since 1964. It has received various awards including the Utne Independent Press award for Science/Technology Coverage and held the title of the National Magazine Awards "General Excellence Among Thought Leader Magazines" in 2012.
Who: Written by Peter Fairley, a freelance writer who writes almost exclusively on energy around the world, he writes for IEEE Spectrum, Nature, and MIT Technology Review. However, he may be slightly biased on the subject as he argues for renewable energy in various nations across the globe such as France, Canada, and the United States.
When: As the article was published on November 2nd, 2015, so this is nowhere near as important as my 18th birthday. On a more serious note, it is important because it shows that new information was critical to the end of the controversy.
What: Using information gathered by the federal government in the previous year since the controversy's beginning, this article summarizes the events so far and explains how the drastically lowered numbers change the ecological impact of the plant.
Where: Published by Breaking Energy, this news outlet was originally founded as AOL Energy in 2011. Focusing on energy developments and energy industry financing, they write a variety of stories ranging from new energy technology to political developments.
Who: Another freelance writer named Pete Danko whose work also appears in publications such as the New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle writes this article. His main writing focus is energy, and he has served as a writer and editor for nearly 30 years, including a three year stint as Managing Editor of Wired Digital, a prominent technology magazine.
When: This article was written on August 27th, 2014, and is an early article about the events transpiring at Ivanpah.
What: The author of the article clearly saw how the controversy is blown out of proportion using data that nobody can confirm. While it presents this narrative, it also shows how the AP story was flawed and attempts to dispel some of the controversy.
Where: Posted on the website of CSP Today, the organization deals exclusively with commercial solar power and the stories and business information for the sector. This may make the source less critical of the industry, but it should have a definite knowledge of the topic.
Who: The author of the article is Susan Kraemer, a freelance writer who writes for publications such as CleanTechnica, CSP Today, and Renewable Energy World. She deals extensively with renewable energy, and has a slight bias in favor of the technology.
When: The article was posted on September 4th, 2014, and is an early article about the topic, but shows how data collected drastically reduces the avian death count.
What: After the original problem of avian deaths was somewhat dealt with, this article talks about the other needs for the plant including reducing glint and glare from the panels and the effects that would have.
Where: Founded in 1998, Renewable Energy World is an internet publication focusing specifically on renewable energy and its impact around the globe. Since it was founded by "professionals who wanted their work to relate to their passion for renewable energy" there is likely a bias towards favoring the tech.
Who: This article was also penned by Susan Kraemer, a freelance writer who writes for publications such as CleanTechnica, CSP Today, and Renewable Energy World. She deals extensively with renewable energy, and has a slight bias in favor of the technology.
When: Published on September 3rd, 2014, this piece is an early article about the controversy, but still uses updated information.
What: The article serves to inform the readers how the original claims made by the AP were drastically out of proportion with the true numbers, which ended up being closer to 133 bird deaths related to sunlight being reflected on the boilers.
Where: RenewEconomy is an Australian publication focusing on clean energy, this article shows how the impact of Ivanpah can be seen around the world. Since it specializes in clean energy, it also likely has a bias in favor of solar, but it attempts to report in an unbiased way.
Who: This is the final article on the Ivanpah controversy written by Susan Kraemer, a freelance writer who writes for publications such as CleanTechnica, CSP Today, and Renewable Energy World. She deals extensively with renewable energy, and has a slight bias in favor of the technology.
When: Published on April 17th, 2015 it details how since the controversy started there has been a great deal of new information and research into the phenomena.
What: By writing about what other solar plants are doing to help solve their problems of avian deaths, this article shows how the industry was responding to the threat.
Where: This article is published by the magazine Scientific American, the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States and former and current home to over 150 Nobel laureates. The magazine focuses on scientific theories along with advances in science and technology over the ages.
Who: John Upton who was a freelance writer at the time published in the New York Times, Slate, and other publications writes the article, using his experience as an environmental and science writer to help convey the story.
When: The article was published on August 27th, 2014, and is one of the first pieces about the controversy, using the original AP figures.
What: This piece is one of the few to go into the details of the environmental concerns about the plant, including the various species of birds that are being threatened and why the solar plants are so risky for birds in flight.
Where: The Desert Sun publishes this piece, which is a local newspaper near the Ivanpah plant serving Palm Springs and Coachella Valley in Southern California. This shows more of a local outlook on the controversy, rather than the national or international point of view of other sources.
Who: James Meier writes the article, bringing his experience as a senior editor at The Desert Sun along with nearly a decade of writing for publications such as the L.A. Times.
When: The piece was published on April 23rd, 2015, showing how new information had drastically reduced the estimated death count since the original articles.
What: This article depicts how in the months following the initial AP article, the information gathered by reporters and researchers has drastically improved, along with how the industry and government are responding to the controversy for future plants.
Where: Environment and Energy Publishing hosts the article, under its service called Greenwire. The service produces stories ranging from climate change to agriculture as a part of its environmental new theme.
Who: This final article is penned by Phil Taylor, an Interior writer for E & E Publishing focusing on energy development, wildlife, and conservation.
When: The article was put up on January 19th, 2015, meaning new information was starting to emerge but the plant was still a PR disaster at the time.
What: While writing the article, Taylor attempts to show how the controversy has impacted future solar projects and how it is now more difficult than ever to get the necessary approval to begin construction.
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