Solar Thermal Towers: One Is Good, Several Is Better

As a set of technologies, solar thermal, aka concentrated solar power (CSP), lags at least a couple of decades behind the more mature industries of wind energy and photovoltaics.  That means that we can expect lots of interesting advancements as solar thermal transforms itself right before our eyes.

And that’s exactly what’s happening.  Within just the last few years, we’ve seen solar towers (pictured here) emerge as a clear winner over parabolic troughs, as the emphasis is on higher temperatures (and thus higher efficiencies), which demands that more radiant energy be concentrated on a single point.

Now the question is: if one tower is good, wouldn’t two (or more) be better?  As covered in the article linked above, the answer appears to be yes.