Concentrated solar power (CSP, also known as concentrating solar power, concentrated solar thermal) systems generate solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight into a receiver. Electricity is generated when the concentrated light is converted to heat (solar thermal energy),. As a thermal energy generating power station, CSP has more in common with such as coal, gas, or geothermal. A CSP plant can incorporate In a CSP plant that includes storage, the solar energy is first used to heat molten salt or synthetic oil, which is stored providing thermal/heat energy at high temperature in insulated. On purely generation cost, bulk power from CSP today is much more expensive than solar PV or Wind power, however, PV and Wind power are. Comparing cost on the. A legend has it that used a "burning glass" to concentrate sunlight on the invading Roman fleet and repel them from. In 1973 a Greek scientist, Dr. Ioannis Sakkas,. CSP is used to produce electricity (sometimes called solar thermoelectricity, usually generated through ). Concentrated solar. An early plant operated in Sicily at. The US deployment of CSP plants started by 1984 with the plants. The last SEGS plant was. The efficiency of a concentrating solar power system depends on the technology used to convert the solar power to electrical energy, the operating temperature of the receiver. Concentrated solar power (CSP, also known as concentrating solar power, concentrated solar thermal) systems generate by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight into a receiver. is generated when the concentrated light is converted to heat (), which drives a (usually a ) connected to an.