A 500 MW solar plant in California is in the news for switching from solar thermal to PV. PV technology offers some advantages that solar thermal doesn’t have in terms of project size and land use choices, which in turn affect a project’s development cost. Solar panel prices also have fallen by more than half in the past two years, making them a more attractive choice for developers besides private financing that is readily available for PV projects.
The advantages of CSP as a grid-stabilizing renewable energy source with storage capabilities are obvious and highly valued by utilities elsewhere in the world. In the U.S., CSP has dominated utility-scale operations – both those in operation and under construction. More than 60 percent of the total utility-scale capacity is currently produced at CSP plants. About 70 percent of the developments under construction use CSP technology.
However, PV has drawn more interest for projects down the road, accounting for 65 percent of the 25 gigawatts currently in the development pipeline.
In the final run, both solar thermal and PV have their advantages and will have to be used according to need.
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