So says the following article in The Guardian: "How mirrors can light up the world."
The subtitle: "Scientists say the global energy crisis can be solved by using the desert sun."
Then follow the sub-headings and you'll have the basic run-down on the story:
"Competitive with oil"
"Safer and cheaper"
Then the Friends of the Earth guy finishes it off: "In the wake of the Stern report the enlightened investment is on hot deserts, not uranium mines or oil wells."
While I offer healthy skepticism, here's a multi-line quote to help you feel that by reading this efficient synopsis you have the gist of it:
Two German scientists, Dr Gerhard Knies and Dr Franz Trieb, calculate that covering just 0.5% of the world's hot deserts with a technology called concentrated solar power (CSP) would provide the world's entire electricity needs, with the technology also providing desalinated water to desert regions as a valuable byproduct, as well as air conditioning for nearby cities.
The rest, well, we'll see. But interesting nonetheless. Interesting, true.
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A couple of years back the folks at Sandia Labs were touting concentrated Solar via steling engines. They also claimed the factor of two cheaper than Phovovoltaics. I think there is substantial financial risk in developing this tech, just about the time it is developed photovoltaics may be competitive. Nevertheless, we should still fund initial developement.
Kinda amusing that they said 5times cheaper than Fusion. Thats a real stretch, as few really expect fusion to be practical in that time frame.