12 June 2017
From 15th to 19th of May, about 40 young researchers from six countries met in Berlin for the 13th SOLLAB doctoral colloquium and the 4th SFERA Summer School. Among them were six PhD students from the Institute for Solar Research. Together with their European colleagues in the field of concentrating solar technologies, they had plenty of opportunity during the four days to exchange their expertise and expand their personal network.
On behalf of the host Institute of Solar Research, its Director Prof. Dr. Robert Pitz-Paal welcomed the participants. In addition to several DLR institutes, the research institutions CIEMAT-PSA (Spain), IMDEA Energy (Spain), ETH Zurich (Switzerland), CNRS (France), the University of Rome (Italy) and UTFSM (Chile) were represented by scientists. The colloquium took place at the premises of the DLR at the Alexanderplatz in Berlin.
The doctoral students presented the current status of their scientific work during the three-day colloquium. The individual lectures were followed by technical discussions in which also the Professors Bernhard Hoffschmidt, Robert Pitz-Paal and Christian Sattler from the Institute for Solar Research participated actively. The topics covered the areas of solar process engineering, desalination and solar photochemistry, metrology, water treatment, line and point focus systems and heat storage. Following the doctoral colloquium, the students attended the two-day Summer School. It addressed not only doctoral students, but a wider audience from science and industry. Experts from industry and science gave lectures mainly on modelling and validation.
In addition to the lectures and discussions, the students explored the German capital in an interactive city tour. As a special experience they enjoyed a joint dinner in the revolving Berlin TV tower as well as an evening in the borough of Köpenick. At the end of their stay, the participants could look back on a week of various findings and experiences. Aside from the suggestions for their own research, they had the opportunity to expand their horizons and see the bigger picture. Not to forget the new personal contacts, the impressions of Berlin, rich in history, and the additional motivation they gained.
Next year, the SOLLAB doctoral colloquium and the SFERA Summer School will be held in France, where CNRS will organise the event. The date and venue will be published at an early stage on the SFERA homepage and on the websites of the participating research institutes. The European Union funds the Doctoral Colloquium and the Summer School as part of the SFERA2 project, to improve cooperation between leading European research institutions in the field of concentrating solar technology.