[Manuel_D]

Solar thermal inherently has built in storage: the molten salt heated during the day continues to provide energy through the night.

> Even the link you provided has thermal storage as a component of the system-- you need to figure out how to dispatch electricity at night.

This is referring to the thermal storage of the molten salt tower.

What I'm getting at is why is solar PV -> electricity -> thermal storage preferable to solar mirrors -> thermal storage. Is solar PV less expensive than mirrors?

[philipkglass]

Solar PV performs better under imperfect illumination conditions. Concentrating solar thermal power can't make use of diffuse light on partly cloudy days, whereas solar PV can. Solar thermal also has to reach a minimum operating temperature before it starts generating steam/electricity. PV actually works better on bright, cold days and will generate full power the instant an array reaches full illumination. These factors, plus the greater mechanical complexity and maintenance requirements for thermal solar, make it very hard for new thermal solar plants to deliver a lower levelized cost of energy than new PV plants.