Unlike Solar PV, A Concentrated Solar Power Plant is a Real Edifice

I laughed out loud when I read Glenn Doty’s comment on my piece in which I mentioned the levelized cost of energy of both solar PV and CSP. After an analysis of some of the engineering details, he writes:

I think I like CSP because there’s a sense of stately power to it… It’s an obelisk – an ancient symbol of power shining brightly, the tip visible for a hundred miles. It’s a testament. We built something… It’s kind of the same feeling that I have about the Grand Coulee Dam (pictured), or the Empire State Building.

I found it funny for this to come from such a man of science—but he certainly has a good point to make here. I’m reminded of the conversations I had with solar historian John Perlin, in which he explained that there are people who are unimpressed with PV because it lacks a certain masculinity: it doesn’t feature molten metal, crunching gears or pounding pistons. It just sits there; it doesn’t even get hot!