Prizes And Awards
DLR Institute "Site of Progress"
Svenja Schulze, Minister of Science for the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, distinguished the Jülich Institute of Solar Research at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) as a "Site of Progress".
The DLR Institute of Solar Research has its main office in Cologne, with branches in Jülich, Almeria and Stuttgart. Jülich features the only solar tower in the whole of Germany. At this pilot power plant, researchers develop and test new components that are to render solar power plants more efficient and cost-effective. They furthermore work on production processes for solar fuels, a field in which the DLR in future will maintain close cooperation with the Solar Institute Jülich at the University of Applied Sciences Aachen. Power plants of this kind could in future provide countries in sunny regions with climate-friendly means to cover their energy requirements.
For 30 years already, the DLR has been developing technologies and processes now used in solar power plants. "With this year's foundation of the DLR's own Institute of Solar Research these competences now are pooled and further developed. The aim is to develop innovations for more efficient power plants to quickly achieve marketability", explained Prof. Dr Ulrich Wagner, Director of Energy and Transport for the DLR Management Board.
The Düsseldorf Science Ministry started the federal state-wide initiative "Fortschritt NRW" (Progress NRW). Over the course of the next five years, the federal state supports the building of the new DLR Institute in Cologne and Jülich with about 27 million Euro. The Solar Institute at the University of Applied Sciences, which works in close cooperation with the DLR Institute, was likewise honoured.
