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Concentrating Solar Power to Bounce Back

February 8, 2012 By 4 Comments
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We’ve written a couple times on concentrating solar power (CSP) plants (including what would be the largest CSP plant in the world) switching to solar photovoltaics (PV) because of the large and fast drop in PV prices over the past year. But, recent reports are projecting that CSP is going to bounce back. Here’s more from Frankie Bertie of sister site Gas2 on this (plus several images of such plants):

Concentrating Solar Power Projects Will Rise Again (via Gas 2.0)

Filed Under: Business & Economy, Clean Energy, Investment, Solar Energy Tagged With: , , ,
About Zachary Shahan

If you couldn't guess, I spend most of my time on CleanTechnica and Planetsave. I'm the director/editor of both sites and am a little obsessed with them and the topics they cover. I'm also Publishing Services Manager at Important Media, which means that I do everything I can to support other Important Media writers, editors, and directors (as well as the network as a whole) in the good work they are engaged in. You can also find my work on Scientific American, Reuters, Change.org, most of the sites in the Important Media network, & many other places. For more, or to connect, go to: zacharyshahan.com

  • https://www.facebook.com/Noorwama.tn Cheikhalifa

    WHAT IS THE BEST WAY YELD OF DESALINASED SEAWATER WITH CSP ?

  • Edward Kerr

    Zach:

    It’s good to hear that “molten salt” CSP is starting to get it’s well deserved props. When I first became aware of the addition of MS to CSP I though that the technology would ramp up quickly. I mean “base load” electricity with the major expense up front installation costs, and no coal, nuclear or natural gas, what’s not to like (?)

    The “environmental” concerns expressed by Eltrovive are based on emotion, offer a partial solution and are, to my way of thinking, illogical. The desert fauna would not find a CSP facility too difficult to adjust to and even if we installed hundreds of these plants they would be hard to find in the millions of acres that can’t be seen from any road in the desert.

    Yes, distributed power from PV panels on as many roof tops (I’ll be putting mine on the ground) as possible is certainly going to be a part of the mix but MS CSP should be embraced. Gotta love the Sun… ;-}

    Ed

    • http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan

      Totally agree with you, Ed.

      Yes, I definitely think decentralized, rooftop (or even ground-mounted :D ) solar needs to be pursued aggressively, but the opposition to CSP bewilders me. We need more than one clean energy technology, and your points on desert solar are totally in line with my thinking.

      Thanks.

  • Eltorovive

    It might be just empty desert, be we need to stop covering acres of pristine desert with more human development, including solar farms.
    Put the power generation where the users are. Millions of acres of root tops and parking lots across the Southwest should the primary location for all new solar development.
    The US Southwest could become a power exporter but not if means covering the rest of what’s left of our desert landscape.