Not sure exactly what you mean by short sighted. Don't think anyone knows how many power plants there really are in the World. I would have to think thousands and each with costs in the multi-million to billion dollar range - so I don't see that working in my lifetime either. So short-sighted to the end of my life 
There is still a great amount of uncertainty and debate on what the cost of production for electricity would be for a solar updraft tower and whether a tower (large or small) can be made profitable.
PROFIT is the keyword too. Currently no too many Companies or Countries are going to do much in the way of any of these newer technologies unless they're is a PROFIT to be made. Money after all is what runs the World, or is it the desire for money 
