Knowlegde for solar energy generation

On the research level of the Juelich Solar Tower: Setting up of test reactor for solar sulfuric acid splitting, a process step within thermochemical hydrogen production. Source: DLR

The research and development in the field of concentrating solar technologies provided the basis for the commercial use of this technology. Subject of current research are the improvement of existing processes, materials and components and the development of innovations.

The scientists at the Institute of Solar Research cover a large range of research topics. These include the development of parabolic trough technology - the so far in commercial solar thermal power plants most established method -, Fresnel collectors and the exploration of solar tower systems.

Other research topics are the development of new heat transfer materials and the monitoring and evaluation of power plant components. The material research is complemented by works to optimize complete systems such as the operation of power plants under changing radiation conditions. The aim of the researchers is to increase the efficiencies of solar energy and heat generation and thereby reduce the production cost.

Another area is the study of the usability of solar power for applications aside of energy generation - for instance solar water purification.

Further more, for tomorrow's energy supply, Institute scientists explore solar chemical processes for storing solar energy in solar fuels such as hydrogen.

Priority research topics and projects:

Line Focus Systems Parabolic trough collectors are the oldest and commercially most successful technology for solar thermal power plants. The department for line focus systems is situated in Almería, Cologne and Stuttgart. We work on relevant issues concerning line focus systems in the entire spectrum from basic research and theory, over experimental and numerical methods up to demonstration under real operating conditions including economic evaluation. Read more

Point Focus Systems In so called point focus systems the direct solar radiation is focused with mirrors on a point-like focal spot. Distinctions are made between two different technologies: solar tower and dish systems. The focus of research at DLR is on the development of solar tower systems and their components. Read more

Material Development Developing new materials as well as improving established materials for solar power plants and solar chemical processes is essential for successful projects and their commercial advance. Read more

Qualification Individual components and collector systems, their interplay in the system of a power plant, and the meteorological conditions of a location have a strong impact on the performance and cost efficiency of solar power plants. We, therefore, develop measurement techniques which can be used to study and evaluate these factors. The results are used to identify and apply possible improvements of the components and systems. Read more

Solar Energy Meteorology Meteorological information is essential for the design, the operation and the qualification of CSP plants and their components. The scientists in the working group “Solar Energy Meteorology” determine the meteorological parameters that are relevant for solar energy and analyze their effect on the performance of solar power plants. Read more

Solar Process Engineering The Solar Chemical Engineering Department aims to develop and demonstrate solar processes for fuel production. The main focus lies on renewable and economical hydrogen as well by thermo-chemical as by photo-electrochemical processes. But also solar produced carbonaceous fuels from different carbon sources like natural gas, biogas, and especially CO2 are worked on. Technically the department mainly works on the development and scale-up of solar reactor technology and the system integration, optimisation and evaluation of the processes. Read more

Ongoing Research Projects (extract) Read more