Process and district heating using concentrating solar collectors
Duration: 01.05.2024 - 30.04.2027
Concentrating solar thermal energy can provide heat where heat pumps, waste heat or conventional flat-plate collectors reach their technical or economic limits: at temperatures up to around 400 degrees Celsius. This makes it a key component of climate-neutral heating networks and for industrial process heat.
The ProSolNetz collaborative project is preparing this technology for widespread use in Germany. To this end, commercial parabolic trough plants are being scientifically surveyed, design tools such as greenius and ScenoCalc Fernwärme are being further developed, and training programmes are being set up for municipal utilities, industrial companies and planning consultancies. The DLR Institute of Solar Research is coordinating the project.
Project objectives
ProSolNetz combines technical validation, system integration and knowledge transfer. The aim is to develop concentrating solar thermal technology in such a way that it can be reliably assessed and implemented in district heating network transformation plans and industrial decarbonisation projects.
Germany’s Heat Transition: Parabolic trough collectors are assessed as a cost-effective heat source up to around 400 degrees Celsius and are being incorporated into specific implementation projects.
Simplifying planning: Existing design and assessment tools, such as Greenius, are to be expanded to include concentrating collector systems as part of the heat transition, enabling project developers and planners to assess yields, storage integration and connection options more quickly.
Providing practical data: Measurement campaigns at commercial plants will generate reliable data for yield validation, operational assessment and quality assurance.
Increasing market acceptance: Results will be communicated to municipal utilities, industry, planning offices and associations through workshops, webinars, on-site visits, technical articles and policy development.
Parabolic trough collector at Avery Dennison
An example from Belgium illustrates how concentrated solar heat can be used to generate process heat. The solar field supplies heat for processes requiring 280 degrees Celsius.
Planning high-temperature solar heating requires reliable yield forecasts and straightforward preliminary planning. ProSolNetz therefore relies on a combination of simulation, measurement data, tool development and user training.
Component
Use
Status
greenius
DLR software for hourly-resolution simulation and economic feasibility assessment of renewable electricity and heat generation systems, including concentrating and non-concentrating solar collectors. Suitable for early project phases, feasibility studies and technology comparisons.
The software is available to download free of charge.
ScenoCalc District Heating / SCFW
An Excel-based preliminary planning tool for solar thermal systems in heating networks, developed by the project partner Solites. Within the context of the project, work is underway to prepare and further develop the tool to include concentrating collector systems.
CST module under development
Measurement campaigns
Scientific measurement of commercial parabolic trough systems to validate thermal output, operating conditions and system integration at temperatures well above 100 °C.
Since 2025
Schulungen, Webinare und Vor-Ort-Workshops
Transfer formats for municipal utilities, district heating operators, industrial companies and planning consultancies, so that project experience can be put into practice more quickly.
On an ongoing basis
Pilot plants & test sites
ProSolNetz uses real-world installations as a basis for learning and validation. Commercial case studies are particularly valuable because they demonstrate how the collector array, storage tank, heat transfer station and existing heat supply interact in an industrial setting.
Turnhout, Belgium – solar process heat for Avery Dennison: The plant at the Turnhout site is a flagship example of concentrated solar thermal energy in an industrial setting in Central Europe. The solar field covers around 5,540 square metres, is coupled with thermal storage and supplies process heat at around 280 degrees Celsius.
Limassol, Cyprus – Solar steam at KEAN Soft Drinks: The Protarget system at KEAN Soft Drinks generates process steam for pasteurisation and preservation. The parabolic trough system with integrated thermal storage generates process steam up to 425 degrees Celsius.
Parabolic trough plant in Belgium
Parabolic trough field with storage operated by the Campina Energie energy co-operative in Turnhout, Belgium. The heat is supplied to the Avery Dennison industrial plant.
One of ProSolNetz’s key focuses is translating technical findings into practical planning knowledge. The project is therefore aimed not only at the research community, but above all at municipal utilities, district heating network operators, industrial companies, planning consultancies and associations.
The consortium brings together expertise in research, collector and system development, district heating network planning, engineering and market access.
Subcontractors and the advisory board strengthen the transfer of knowledge to industry associations, market analyses, energy consultancy, network planning and the political framework.
Industry events, webinars, on-site visits and technical articles are designed to provide access to operational experience, funding opportunities and planning steps.
The results are incorporated into design tools, training materials and technical communications, thereby supporting the standardisation of high-temperature solar heat in district heating networks and process heat applications.
For industrial companies, ProSolNetz provides structured access to renewable process heat, even beyond traditional low-temperature applications. The combination of parabolic trough collectors, thermal storage tanks and tailored integration into existing heating systems can replace fossil fuels and reduce dependence on energy price fluctuations.
For local authorities, municipal utilities and district heating network operators, the project provides a solid basis for incorporating concentrated solar thermal energy into transformation plans, feasibility studies and specific investment decisions. The refined tools and training programmes help to reduce technical risks and enable projects to be assessed more quickly.
