Jülich Solar Tower

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The construction of the solar tower power plant Jülich, one experimental solar thermal power plant began in February 2008. Planned and built this project together with the Jülich Solar Institute and the German Aerospace Center (DLR ). In September 2008, the plant was put into operation for testing purposes.

On 20 August 2009, the solar thermal test and demonstration power plant was officially Jülich future operators, Stadtwerke Jülich passed. On 29 June 2011, DLR has bought the solar tower for 7.5 million euros by Stadtwerke Jülich. Thus, the power plant will be used in future intensive application oriented research purposes.

Covering an area of ​​about eight hectares, the power plant has 2153 dual-axis, sun-tracking mirrors (heliostats ) that focus so that the sunlight to the upper end of the 60-meter tower is reflected toward where the receiver (receiver) is. The 22 m² large receiver of porous ceramic elements heat the air flowing through it up to 700 ° C. The radiation from the sun will be up to 1000-fold concentrated. The heat may, for example, for the production of steam, is produced with the power through a turbine, to be used. Thus, about 400 private households can be supplied with electricity. Alternatively, solar, hydrogen could be produced.

Since the power plant acts as a pilot plant for power plants in Southern Europe and North Africa, it also has national significance. In Algeria, an almost identical plant is currently planned.

Since the start of planning, there is criticism of the choice of location in Germany rather than in a sunnier, southern country - the later formation regions for commercial projects. Among other things, the Solar Promotion Germany wrote eV (SFV ) as a proponent of solar power generation by " a waste of resources "