So now there's talk that solar technology is becoming so cheap that it's becoming a real business alternative to coal energy plants in areas with cheap desert land. Bloomberg is reporting the likes of Google, Chevron and Goldman Sachs are betting the price of running solar energy plants will become competitive by 202 :

Unlike photovoltaic solar panels that convert sunlight to electricity, solar thermal focuses sunrays with mirrors to heat oil in glass pipes to about 700 degrees Fahrenheit (370 degrees Celsius). The oil turns water to steam, which spins an electric turbine.

Nine solar thermal plants built in the California desert from 1985 to 1991 still operate, with Juno Beach, Florida-based FPL Group Inc. running seven. They have combined capacity of 354 megawatts, enough to power 230,000 Southern California homes.

Development slowed when Congress eliminated tax credits for alternative energy in the early 1990s. Laws put in place in 2005 give solar investors a 30 percent tax credit.

That raises a lot of questions for me, like the potential negative impact of solar farm sprawl in desert ecosystems. Still it makes me happy to see that at last, after all these years, the United States it seriously considering solar energy as an alternative to oil.

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