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"Sorry, but that's just wrong. There is no such thing as 'watts in the wall', except at the final wall. There's a big cost to transporting energy at low voltages, and another big cost to combining lots of small generators into a big flow."

Malarkey. A 500MW solar thermal plant is in no way different from a 500MW nuclear plant to the "end user" as far as the "density" of the power is concerned. 500MW is 500MW. Any "tranmission" issues are completely identical, because the actual gizmo that cranks out the watts is exactly the same for both plants---a steam turbine.

The only point you raise that has any validity is the one about "NIMBY", which is right on target. If you "had" raised the issue of "cost to implement", you would have had a second valid point, but, as with any other technology, an increased demand and mass production of parts will bring the price down.

I was thinking more about the windmills or solar cell than the more concentrated forms of solar. You are right about the solar thermal, once you get to hi-temp/hi-efficiency generation, 500MW plants are all alike for transmission/distribution effects.

Increased demand won't change the fact that you need a good sunny location and a bit of area for any solar plant. Siting the solar/thermal plants in Arizona doesn't do much good for Montana, if you let me bring up those pesky transmission issues again.

I haven't followed solar/thermal technology, so maybe they can build them in Montana, but I'd doubt that it work too well in the Montana winter.