Expertise at four locations

The Institute of Solar Research operates large facilities, test rigs and laboratories at three locations in Germany and has access to the Spanish major research facility Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA), operated by his cooperation partner CIEMAT. This infrastructure providea ideal conditions for solar researchers in basic research and application-oriented projects as well as for the development and deployment of managed services for industrial customers.

The greatest and most significant large-scale installation of the Institute is the solar thermal experimental power plant in Juelich. The solar tower has a research facility and serves as a pilot facility for future commercial power plants.

Material and process testing under particularly realistic conditions are possible on the plants of the PSA of the Spanish cooperation partner CIEMAT. DLR’s solar furnace and the Xenon-high-flux solar simulator in Cologne can provide high-energy radiation for tests on a laboratory scale, for example for material tests lasting several days. Another, much larger solar simulator is currently under construction and will be located in Juelich.

Also in Cologne maintains the Institute of Solar Research together with two other DLR institutes the CeraStorE competence center for ceramic materials and thermal storage technologies. The focus of the solar process engineers in CeraStorE is on the development of processes for the production of solar fuels.

Quality tests for CSP components and systems are performed In the laboratories and test facilities of the QUARZ^® center in Cologne and Almería. The options here range from the testing of prototypes, through material testing to product specification and development.