One of the major challenges associated with renewable electricity generation is the "intermittency problem", the fact that many of the most promising renewable technologies are dependent on energy sources that cannot be harnessed at a constant level (i.e. the wind doesn't always blow at the same speed, the sun doesn't always shine). 

A possible solution to this problem is concentrated solar thermal power (CSP), which uses solar energy to produce steam and turn a turbine, similar to traditional sources of power.  Maybe the most important benefit of this process, however, is that the heat it produces is much cheaper to store than electricity (which would help solve the intermittency problem).  From Joseph Romm:

"The key attribute of CSP is that it generates primary energy in the form of heat, which can be stored 20 to 100 times more cheaply than electricity -- and with far greater efficiency. Commercial projects have already demonstrated that CSP systems can store energy by heating oil or molten salt, which can retain the heat for hours."

Romm, the former Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in the Clinton Administration, has called CSP a "core climate solution" on his blog and thinks that it will deliver more power in the 21st century than coal power with carbon capture and storage.

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