With the UK going coal-free for a record-breaking 90 hours over the weekend, energy sources such as solar and onshore wind now play a key role in generating electricity. However, with the urgent need for new energy sources to replace the 60% of the electricity produced worldwide by fossil fuel combustion, it has become necessary to look further afield to alternative energy sources.
The perennial argument for maintaining significant fossil fuel capacity is this: when the wind doesn't blow, and the sun doesn't shine, and the mercury drops low enough that the whole country simultaneously dials up the thermostat, then renewables on their own are not enough to keep the lights on
Concentrated solar power (CSP) with energy storage is an upcoming renewable technology that promises to provide cost-effective power generation with improved efficiency.