Heat from solar thermal energy

Concentrating solar thermal technology enables the concentrated use of the sun’s energy. In this process, mirrors concentrate the incoming radiation onto an absorber, which is thereby heated. As a result, parabolic trough collectors can already reliably achieve temperatures of up to 400 °C, making them particularly suitable for industrial heating processes or larger district heating networks. Here, the technology can be used both as a supplement to and as an alternative for fossil fuel combustion, and can be combined with thermal storage systems.

Technologies

A variety of concentration technologies are used to provide solar heat, offering a range of options depending on requirements. Concentrating solar thermal energy can also be easily combined with other renewable energies and can thus supply industrial processes and heating networks in a sustainable and resilient manner.

Heating networks

Heating networks supply heat to several consumers from one or more central generation plants. A Heating network consists of pipes, which are usually laid underground. These pipes are specially insulated to minimise heat loss during transport. Local and district solar heating uses large-scale solar thermal fields to meet the heating requirements of local residential areas or municipal networks. There are already numerous installations that demonstrate that solar thermal energy can also be used in colder climates.

Solar process heat

Solar process heat involves using heat from solar thermal energy for industrial processes. The temperature range here is often higher than in heating networks. Parabolic troughs are well suited for use in the food, beverage and chemical industries, where process temperatures between 100 and 400 °C are required. This includes, for example, processes for preheating, drying and steam generation.

Contact

Dr.-Ing. Eckhard Lüpfert

Head of Concentrating Solar Technologies Department
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Institute of Solar Research
Linder Höhe, 51147 Köln-Porz
Germany