Research Projects

Soiling of mirrors in solar thermal power plants reduces the yield and affects economic efficiency. The goal of the project is the development of a device for automatic registration of soiling at sites for solar power plants for the qualification of plant sites as well as during power plant operation. Since yield reductions and cleaning costs represent a significant contribution to the economic efficiency of solar power plants, better understanding of the soiling characteristics at a given site would be a helpful criterion for risk reduction and financing when selecting and qualifying power plant projects and would support an optimization of the cleaning cycles during operation. | Duration: 08/2014 - 05/2018

Concentrating Solar Thermal Power (CSP) technology can provide dispatchable power at competitive cost in regions with high direct solar irradiance. In the scope of the CAS-T project, Fraunhofer ISE and NWEPDI are developing a software for the design, simulation and optimization of CSP Solar Tower plants. | Duration: 01/2020-06/2021

Process heat is needed for various production and cleaning purposes specially in the food industry, where process heat takes up a considerable part of the industrial total energy consumption. A number of optimisation measures can contribute to energy and cost reductions. Within the scope of the “DAST II TuPro” project, technical and economic possibilities should be identified at selected Tunisian production locations for the use of solar thermal technology and a foundation laid for the establishment of an energy management system. First, energy efficiency potentials are checked and their implementation chances evaluated. The selected companies operate in the food & beverages industry. A high portion of necessary process heat is typical for this industry. Systematic energy management is used to continuously increase the energy efficiency, mainly in energy-intensive companies. | Duration: 03/2013 - 03/2018

The aim of the project is to develop and optimize cost-efficient filler materials for high-temperature storage systems and to test a high-temperature storage system in an industrial application. The application area of the filler materials is thermal storage for waste heat recovery as well as solar thermal and fossil power plants with liquid heat transfer media (thermal oil or molten salt) or with gaseous heat transfer media such as air. | Duration: 03/2019 - 08/2022

Project in the Business Areas: Solar Thermal Power Plants and Industrial Processes, Power Electronics, Grids and Smart Systems; Topics: Solar Thermal Power Plants, Thermal Energy Storage for Power Plants and Industry, Energy System Analysis; Duration: 06/2019 - 05/2023

Project in the Business Area Solarthermal Power Plants and Industrial Processes, Topic: Thermal Energy Storage for Power Plants and Industry, Duration: September 2018 - August 2021

Project in the Business Area: Solar Thermal Power Plants and Industrial Processes, Photovoltaic Topics: Concentrating Solar Collectors, Solar Thermal Power Plants, Photovoltaic Modules and Power Plants Field of Work: Forecasting of Solar Irradiance and Power Duration: 02/2021 - 07/2023

Project in the Business Area: Solar Thermal Power Plants and Industrial Processes; Topic: Water Treatment and Materials Separation; Duration: 07/2021 - 06/2024

Project in the Business Area: Solar Thermal Power Plants and Industrial Processes; Topic: Solar Thermal Power Plants, Thermal Storage for Power Plants and Industry, Industrial Processes and Process Heat​; Duration: 12/2022 - 11/2025

Project in the Business Area Solar Thermal Power Plants and Industrial Processes; Topics: Thermal Systems Engineering, Concenrating Solar Collectors, Thermal Storage for Power Plants and Industry, Solar Thermal Power Plants, Duration: 01/2017 - 12/2020