CSP at a crossroads : The first solar electric power plants are still proving their worth after three decades, so why aren't we seeing more CSP reach the development stage?

THE FIRST major concentrating solar power (CSP) plants were built in the Mojave Desert, U.S. in 1984 and have been producing over 330 MW since then. A well-publicised slump hit the industry in the nineties, but recently there has been a major upswing in installations, and an even bigger increase in project announcements.