Solar thermal is one very scalable technology - unfortunately no...

Solar thermal is one very scalable technology - unfortunately no ASX companies as yet and it is not base-load.

There are arguments from some in the industry that it may be more efficient to move to small scale operations, distribution closer to where power is consumed (solar and wind in the home, the ultimate example of this).

This is because the grid is becoming increasingly costly to maintain (very labour intensive and of course all that copper). Especially so given the dispersed nature of our population. Of course there will always be a requirement for high capacity plants where energy intensive industry is involved. One reason I like geothermal so much is I think that these industries will relocate if the energy source is available, and the geographic problem isn't all it is made out to be.

Here's another article for you:

http://bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=269838