On my recent (second) trip to Shams 1, the world’s largest single-unit concentrated solar power (CSP) plant, I took the opportunity to ask CSP experts Abdulaziz Al Obaidli and Yousif Al Ali some questions regarding CSP research and trends. I also had Abdulaziz Al Obaidli provide a short overview of the different types of CSP on the market — since CSP isn’t just one technology. Here’s the video I created from pieces of those interviews:

Of course, in a lot of cases, the most important factor is simply cost. It’s interesting to hear that CSP is getting down to 19–25 cents per kWh — still much more expensive than solar PV, but progress is being made.