The German Aerospace Center, DLR, has been cooperating with countries from the sunbelt for many years. The goal is to spread the knowledge of solar thermal technologies and to strengthen international cooperation in research and development of technology. Examples of this cooperation in the MENA region are the projects enerMENA, Hymenso, HelioMaroc and the meteorological network. Together with CIEMAT and the enerMENA partners, DLR records the relevant meteorological parameters at a large number of locations in Spain and the MENA region. As part of the knowledge transfer the Institute of Solar Research has created a special capacity building program for interested parties from industrial, political and scientific communities.
The institute offers training courses in solar technologies for public and private decision-makers, for engineers and technical staff, for project managers and for scientists. The courses aim to broaden the expertise and help train qualified personnel for solar thermal power plants in the region. The training materials are based on the courses of the enerMENA project supported by the German Foreign Ministry:
The course program offers lectures and practical exercises that enhance existing or planned solar thermal power plants. It conveys experience gained from European plants. Courses range from specialized one-week courses to more in-depth courses lasting several weeks.
The training for project managers conveys the special features of the professional planning of a solar thermal power plant. It analyses the structure, the development processes, the planning tools and the profitability of the plant and offers advice for the specific challenges.
These courses are designed for decision makers, engineers and managers who are not directly employed in the solar thermal industry. They provide a basic understanding of technology, assessment of energy potential and planning of a concentrating solar power plant.
The course provides professors and faculty with teaching material on CSP so they can incorporate it into the curriculum for renewable energy study programs. The material is structured in presentations and lecture scripts.
All images Source: DLR
For students and those interested in concentrated solar power the institute offers specially developed teaching materials on demand free of charge.
The teaching material was developed as part of the enerMena project by the institute and external experts from international universities. It covers a wide spectrum: from the evaluation of the location and socio-economic factors to the optics and thermodynamics of the solar thermal power plant. The course contents include theoretical units and practical exercises. Chapter 1 as a sneak-peak.
In seven thematic blocks, 54 tutorials cover the basics of line and point focusing technologies and provide assistance from project planning to yield analysis. The videos were created in English.
You get free acces to the videos on our Youtube channel.