Ever more solarthermal power stations are connecting to the grid in Southern Europe. They concentrate sunlight with the help of mirrors and use it to heat water. Under high pressure, the steam then drives a turbine. The technology has already existed for decades but only now reached a degree of efficiency to make its large-scale use attractive. Subsidies are providing a further boost. While the pictured Solnova 1 plant at Abengoa Solar, near Seville, has a capacity of 50 megawatts, numerous projects at the development and construction stage are already providing for a power station capacity of far greater than 200 megawatts each. Siemens has the technology for the key components of solarthermal power stations in its portfolio..

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