Using non-imaging optics, trough concentrators up to a factor of five or ten suns can work through a substantial part of the day with only seasonal tracking (i.e. twice a year you go out and change their angle by hand).
The very first solar power plant, in Egypt in I think about 1910, was actually a steam plant that worked on precisely this principle. Photovoltaic is cheaper in most of the world than a steam engine now, though.
The very first solar power plant, in Egypt in I think about 1910, was actually a steam plant that worked on precisely this principle. Photovoltaic is cheaper in most of the world than a steam engine now, though.