Solar Thermal Progress in the U.S.

Even though the title of this NY Times article is somewhat pessimistic, after reading the article, I felt optimistic that large scale solar power generation projects are indeed moving forward. The following paragraph provides a nice summary of, Solar Power Projects Face Potential Hurdles:

"The Ivanpah plant is the first of nine multibillion-dollar solar farms in California and Arizona that are expected to begin construction before the end of the year as developers race to qualify for tens of billions of dollars in federal grants and loan guarantees that are about to expire. The new plants will generate nearly 4,000 megawatts of electricity if built — enough to power three million homes."

"Unlike the photovoltaic panel systems found on rooftops, most of the new solar plants will use thousands of large mirrors to heat liquids to generate steam that drives conventional electricity-generating turbines." (Click on the 'solar energy'  in labels below to see previous posts with more details of solar thermal technology.)

The current concern is that the federal incentives now being offered will expire before the projects clear all the regulatory approvals.