Bulk power energy storage and concentrated solar power: Is there a future in USA?

Long-term solutions of global energy crisis and applications of mass scale renewable energy depend heavily on the availability of storage system. Currently the storage technology for large scale power system is practically non-existent except for the pumped hydro scheme, which has been known and successfully implemented for over 80 years. Besides being expensive, it depends on the site location. Concentrated Solar Power has been emerging as a possible alternative. However, this is not a proven technology and needs more research and development before it could be employed. This paper takes a fresh look at the technologies and the global development and its possible utilization in the US market.