Light-thermal-electrical conversion generates electricity by using the heat generated by solar radiation, typically by converting the heat absorbed by a solar collector into working steam, which drives a turbine to generate electricity. The previous process is the light-heat conversion process; The latter process is a thermal-electrical conversion process, similar to ordinary thermal power generation.

The downside of solar thermal power is that it is inefficient and costly, and is estimated to be at least five to 10 times more expensive than conventional thermal power stations. A 1000MW solar thermal power plant requires investment of $2 billion to $2.5 billion, with an average investment of $2,000 to $2,500 for a 1kW. Therefore, it can only be applied on a small scale for special occasions, while large-scale utilization is economically uneconomical and cannot compete with ordinary coal-fired power stations or nuclear power plants.