HOW IT WORKS But even such distant latitudes share the global goal of developing renewable energy sources, to decarbonize and meet a demand that, according to the International Energy Agency, will grow by some 30% in the next 20 years. In other words, it will be like adding another China and another India. That is why all possible generation must be optimized, and the technological advantages of solar thermal power plants are essential. Especially their ability to store energy from the sun in molten salt tanks, before converting it into electricity to send to the grid at any time of the day or night. “The future of renewables goes through mass storage, and concentrating solar thermal technolo-gy shows that it can be, and is, adaptable for different international markets,” exp-lains Javier López Sanz, Technical Manager of Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) projects in the Industrial area of Construction at ACCIONA. According to José Fernando Gallego, responsible for RDI in the same area, “this technology concentrates solar ener-gy on a line, in the case of parabolic troughs, or at a point in the tower plants, to heat a receiver through which a heat transfer fluid passes, that then converts solar energy into thermal energy for a multitude of applications.” To produce electricity, of course, or steam for industrial processes. THE MANUFACTURING CHALLENGE But achieving this optimal production requires standardizing the manu-facture of components and assembly, to keep costs down. A huge cha-llenge for the heliostats, those special mirrors on mobile bases that rotate themselves like sunflowers. “Their design has to be continuously aligned with the component manufacturing workshops to minimize welding and mechanization processes,” says López Sanz. “In addition, MIRROR FACETS REQUIRE MAXIMUM OPTICAL QUALITY AND ALSO RIGIDITY