An Italian company, Magaldi Group, has developed a new technology under the name of STEM (Solare Termodinamico Magaldi / Solar Thermo Electric Magaldi) to use sand as a storage system and concentrate solar energy. The firm’s installations capture sun rays and reflect them onto a huge mirror, which then redirects the sunlight into a cylindrical steel container filled with sand. Here, sand is exposed to temperatures of over 600°, producing steam and generating electricity.

Founded in 1929 in Salerno, Italy, Magaldi Group is a well-established manufacturer of steel belt conveyors and has recently expanded its activities in the field of renewable energies. Letizia Magaldi, manager at Magaldi Group and daughter of the company founder Mario, declared to Business Insider: “We represent an alternative to other kinds of renewable energy, because STEM  can produce energy also when there is no sun.”