There are a number of very good reasons why solar thermal electrical generation is being pursued more avidly than photovoltaics currently. It is cheaper, uses less land area, and uses well-proven thermal technologies. Mirrors are also expected to last longer than PV panels. Most importantly probably, the potential to use heat storage effectively makes solar thermal a candidate for both baseload power and dispatchable power. Having both of these attributes makes it incredibly useful from the standpoint of grid control. I have recently written an article which goes into more detail on this subject. It can be found at www.visionofearth.org/featured-articles/solar-thermal-power/