Renewable Energy World at Intersolar — and an Affirmation of Concentrated Solar Power

As planned, I used my trip to the Intersolar show to connect busily with many industry colleagues, including my friends at Renewable Energy World.  And, true to form, these folks weren’t exactly lounging around either. I found the company’s president, Jim Callahan, hard at work in the company’s booth on the third floor, speaking to industry VIPs, while Stephen Lacey was conducting back-to-back on-camera interviews with spokespeople from a variety of disciplines and technologies in their impromptu but ultra-professional Internet TV studio on the first floor.

I was sad to note that most of the show was devoted to PV (vs. concentrated solar power), but I happened to come by the studio at a point where Stephen was chatting with a top representative of CSP, Charlie Ricker, Senior Vice President of Business Development for BrightSource Energy. Stephen asked, “So are you one of these people who believes that we’ll ultimately see hundreds or thousands of square miles of CSP in the southwestern deserts, and transmission lines to the population centers all over North America?” I was delighted that Charlie replied, “Yes, I believe that’s a very real goal.”

I like to think I’m a man who can hold a viewpoint regardless of its popularity. But it’s always good to hear confirmation from smart people like Charlie.