Prof. Meike Jipp, Executive Board Member for Energy and Transport at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), welcomed the participants on behalf of the DLR.
The German Aerospace Center is hosting the 32nd SolarPACES Conference.
The conference will take place from 15 to 19 September in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler.
It is the world’s leading conference on concentrated solar power and thermal and chemical energy systems.
On Tuesday, 15 September, the 32nd SolarPACES 2026 in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler got off to a flying start with several highlights: the welcome of 390 participants; Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy for the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, attended the conference; and, to top it all off, a first was celebrated.
To begin with, the two chairmen, Prof. Robert Pitz-Paal and Dr Benedikt Kölsch, welcomed participants from 31 countries across six continents in the atmospheric hall of the Kurhaus in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. The two chairmen outlined that, over the following four days, participants could look forward to 152 presentations across 17 subject areas. In addition, scientists displayed 159 posters. The majority of the contributions focused on the topic of thermal energy storage.
Prof. Meike Jipp, Executive Board Member for Energy and Transport at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), addressed the audience on behalf of the DLR as the host organisation. She emphasised that, for the DLR, the energy transition is not simply a matter of replacing one energy source with another. “It is about creating solutions for an energy system that is economically viable, resilient and climate-neutral.”
Climate neutrality through innovation
The Chairmen then welcomed Mona Neubaur, who highlighted both the importance of the energy transition and the significance of the DLR’s Jülich site for North Rhine-Westphalia: “The path to climate neutrality can only be achieved through innovation. And that is precisely what we are passionate about here in North Rhine-Westphalia. At the Jülich research center, we can see in striking terms what the path to a fossil-free future looks like. Whether it’s solar energy, synthetic fuels or state-of-the-art heat storage systems – this is where the technology we need for a climate-neutral tomorrow is being developed,” she said, and further: “Our goal is clear: we want to consistently strengthen and expand this enormous potential and the expertise in our state. We are working on this every day here in North Rhine-Westphalia.”
SolarPACES 2026
Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy for the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, gave a speech at the opening of the conference.
Alina Gilmanova delivered a welcome address on behalf of ‘Women+ in Concentrated Solar’. The initiative, which was founded in 2022 at a SolarPACES conference, has set itself the goal of giving a voice to under-represented genders and ensuring greater visibility. Gilmanova emphasised that diversity in research is important: “Diversity brings with it new skills, perspectives and attitudes.”
SolarPACES and EuroSun Joint Session
The scientific programme began with a first: as two of the world’s leading international conferences in the field of solar thermal energy – SolarPACES in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler and EuroSun 2026 in Freiburg – are taking place simultaneously in Germany, there was, for the first time, a joint programme for both conferences.
SolarPACES 2026
Joint sessions were held in conjunction with the EuroSun conference.
A live broadcast between the respective plenary sessions allowed all participants to first look back on 50 years of energy research in Germany – before going on to shed light on the future. This was followed by two joint sessions on the topics of ‘Sustainable Heat for Industrial Processes’ and ‘Thermal Energy Storage’.
In addition to the joint programme on the first day of the conference, participants can also use their conference ticket to attend the other event in person. This close cooperation makes it possible to look beyond individual technologies and research communities – an essential step towards transforming the energy system.
Mitigating risk and utilising research infrastructure
Cooperating and jointly utilising the existing research infrastructure to mitigate the risks associated with technological developments – this was also the message Prof. Christian Sattler, Head of the DLR Institute of Future Fuels, conveyed to the audience in his plenary speech ‘From Lab Beyond Mega Watt – Risk mitigation by large-scale R&D infrastructure’. “Before innovative technologies are introduced to the market, research organisations such as the DLR offer the opportunity to scale them up and test them under controlled conditions,” said Prof. Sattler.
SolarPACES 2026
Prof. Christian Sattler spoke about the benefits of research infrastructures in reducing the risks associated with technological developments.
The DLR Institute of Solar Research presented its new exhibit at the SolarPACES conference. Using a multi-touch table, it demonstrates the temperature ranges in which solar heat can be utilised. It becomes clear that the correct system is required for each application: whether in local heating networks, as industrial heat, or in high-temperature applications such as cement production. The use of this exhibit demonstrates that the DLR develops, measures and optimises solutions for the various systems.
The first day of SolarPACES in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler was rounded off with a ‘Welcome Reception’ in summery temperatures on the terrace of the Kurhaus.
