The Andalusian company Refractaris, based in Montemayor, has proposed a new international standard for thermal insulation for concentrating solar power plants for study and approval. This standard will facilitate the minimum standardization required in thermal insulation of solar thermal power plants in the world and will strengthen their development possibilities in the coming years.

The initiative has been the responsibility of the Refractaris research and innovation department, responsible for the design, construction, installation and maintenance of the protection shields of 90 percent of the world’s solar thermal towers.

International working group

The proposal, which was approved and processed by Subcommittee CTN 206 / SC 117 Thermosolar Power Plants of the Spanish Association for Standardization (UNE), implies the start-up of the working group IEC – TC 117 / PT 62862-1-4 for the development of the international standard of thermal insulation for solar plants and formed by experts from the United States, China, Germany and Spain.

The standards are technical specifications of a voluntary nature, but through their reference in legislative provisions, the Regulatory Authorities may decide that their content, in whole or in part, becomes mandatory.