Why are solar thermal facilities primarily located in the southwestern United States? Why aren’t more facilities located throughout the rest of the country?
Solar thermal facilities primarily located in the southwestern parts of the US. Solar thermal plants convert solar energy (radiation) into electrical energy. The southwestern United States is one of the best areas which get intense solar radiation. The values of insolation (solar radiation) in southwest are highest in US. This is one reason for large number solar thermal plants in southwest part. Because of low values of insolation in other parts of the country plants are not building there.
The other reason is there are large areas, mainly deserts that are not used for anything else (or not useful for anything). So the best way to use that areas productively is to build thermal plants there (considering high isolation values also). Since those areas are mainly deserts of course population is less. That is also one reason.
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