2011 was a turbulent year for American CSP. Amongst the total 3000MW of CSP projects converted to PV was Blythe – STA’s flagship project which was switched to PV during development. Long-term investment and support has been at risk too, with the Loan Guarantee Program coming to an end, costs of PV declining and bankability of CSP’s main rival increasing. At a time when many CSP projects have had to search for private investors for capital, PV has been showing a stronger sense of financial security. As a result, CSP is left in an increasingly challenging situation whereby a healthy long-term future will have to be assisted by efficient production through cost reduction and new technologies.

With an agenda geared towards tackling these challenges, the 6th Concentrated Solar Thermal Summit Power Conference and Exhibition will explore CSP’s deployment in the US and cover the crucial steps taken to ensure survival in the launch phase of projects. Strategizing long term success will be a key theme, with bankability and growth levels extensively explored along with dispatchability and grid integration, right through to CSP’s contribution to the economy.

Companies headlining the conference include, Abengoa, BrightSource, Torresol Energy, Alstrom, Bechtel, APS, SMUD and NREL who will provide an industry insight into creating a distinguishable ROI for CSP. Organizer Heidi Hafes stated “This landmark event was produced with the intention of pushing the industry forward in the US. With the current economic condition, CSP players need to work together to build a sound foundation for the future. The CSP USA 2012 forum will ignite interest throughout the whole value chain so that concentrated solar thermal power can once again regain its competitive stance in the solar market.”

For more information on the 6th Concentrated Solar Thermal Summit Power Conference and Exhibition, including the full speaker list and agenda, please visit www.csptoday.com/usa

Heidi Hafes
CSP Today
heidi@csptoday.com