In sunny regions, solar thermal power plants based on concentrated solar power (CSP) already provide dispatchable renewable electricity through the use of large thermal storage units. Particularly in combination with inexpensive PV electricity, the storage potential provided by CSP in grids with increasing proportions of electricity from fluctuating renewable sources will become increasingly important. Together with our partners, we are conducting research on materials, components, collectors and systems, to further increase the efficiency and reduce manufacturing costs. Cost-efficient and resource-saving operation of the systems is also the subject of current work. Thermal storage also offers great potential for industrial processes to become more efficient and energy flows to be designed more flexibly. In addition to concrete storage solutions and energy-efficiency measures, we are working on integrating solar process heat into the heat supply for industrial processes.