Competence center for ceramic materials and thermal storage technology in energy research
CeraStorE
Exterior view of the CeraStorE building in Cologne-Porz
The CeraStorE (CERAmics, STORage, Energy; Competence Center for Ceramic Materials and Thermal Storage Technologies in Energy Research) research building is jointly operated by the DLR Institutes of Future Fuels, Engineering Thermodynamics, Solar Research and Materials Research.
CERamics, STORage, Energy – Energy efficiency and energy storage will play a key role in the future coverage of our energy needs with renewable energies. Scientists from four DLR institutes are working interdisciplinarily on solutions for a sustainable energy supply at CeraStorE, the DLR competence center for ceramic materials and thermal storage technology in energy research.
The DLR institutes of Future Fuels, Engineering Thermodynamics, Solar Research and Materials Research are working together at CeraStorE. They focus on basic research for innovative materials as well as on application-oriented issues in collaboration with industrial partners. Applications include, for example, thermal energy storage systems, solar fuels and chemicals, power plants in baseload operation or efficient gas turbines.
The core topics of the solar researchers at CeraStorE are the material development for solar power plants and research related to solar fuels. The use of industrial waste heat for high-temperature processes is also part of the research work. Together with scientists from the other institutes involved, the development of thermal storage technologies is being promoted and materials for a sustainable energy supply are being developed and tested.
Customised materials for solar power plants and solar chemistry
The researchers at the Institute of Future Fuels have extensive experience in the field of solar power plant technology and the production of synthetic fuels by solar thermal processes. These processes require very high temperatures, which pose special requirements on the materials used. In the field of functional ceramics for high-temperature processes, this involves close cooperation with researchers at the Institute of Materials Research. This includes not only the development and testing of novel materials for thermochemical energy conversion processes, but also the development of suitable manufacturing methods for 3-D components, such as foams and honeycomb structures, and their characterization and testing in the laboratory.
Luftaufnahme des CeraStorE-Gebäudes in Köln-Porz
Das Forschungsgebäude CeraStorE (CERAmics, STORage, Energy; Competence Center for Ceramic Materials and Thermal Storage Technologies in Energy Research) wird gemeinsam von den DLR-Instituten für Future Fuels, Technische Thermodynamik, Solarforschung und Werkstoff-Forschung betrieben.
Solar energy has an enormous potential for the production of fuels such as hydrogen. Efficient processes for the production of large quantities of solar fuels could meet the increasing energy demands of future generations without polluting the atmosphere with harmful CO2. In addition, hydrogen is one of the most important raw materials in the chemical industry, it is used in the production of fertilisers and can significantly contribute to the independence from natural gas in a number of industrial processes.
At CeraStorE researchers explore the fundamentals of producing hydrogen and other fuels using solar energy.
Links to universities and industry
With its technical equipment and large-scale laboratories the CeraStorE offers ideal working conditions for energy and material researchers. There, scientists can test processes and materials on a small laboratory scale as well as in larger test stands and thus conduct research close to industrial applications. This significantly shortens the time between development and market launch. The integration and the constant exchange with universities and companies is also part of the concept of "CeraStorE”.
