From research conducted at the Futher improvements in solar thermal power

In 2011 the DLR established the Institute for Solar Research in Germany and took over operation of the solar tower power plant in Jülich. This facility was developed and built by a research and industrial consortium that included the Jülich municipal utilities company. The DLR has supported the Jülich solar-thermal experimental and demonstration plant from the outset and will continue to use it as a research facility. A total of 2,153 movable mirrors (heliostats) direct the rays of the sun to the top of the 60-meter solar tower, where they are absorbed by the solar receiver and converted into heat. The receiver consists of porous ceramic elements through which incoming air flows. Heated to a temperature of up to 700 degrees Celsius, the air produces steam that drives the electricity-generating turbine. Using the experimental solar power plant, researchers can test new components and processes intended to make solar power plants more efficient and less expensive. The solar tower in Jülich is serving as a pilot facility for future commercial power stations in southern Europe and North Africa. 

DLR/Red.