Locations & arrival

Cologne

The Institute of Solar Research has its headquarters on the DLR site in Cologne-Porz. Here, the Institute operates the QUARZ® Test and Qualification Centre for Concentrating Solar Technology as well as several laboratories. The institute is also involved in the competence centre for ceramic materials and thermal storage technologies CeraStorE®.

Jülich

The DLR Institute of Solar Research operates Germany's only solar thermal test power plant in Jülich. The Solar Towers Jülich are a globally unique research facility for tests with concentrated, natural sunlight. The facility is not only used by DLR researchers, but is also available to industrial companies for their own tests.

Stuttgart

At the DLR site in Stuttgart, the Institute of Solar Research is represented by staff from the Concentrating Solar Technologies and Sustainable Systems Process Engineering departments.

Almería

A team from the qualification department works here. What makes the location so valuable for the institute is the access to the test facilities of the Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA) of the Spanish Centre for Energy, Environmental Studies and Technology CIEMAT and the cooperation on site. The Plataforma Solar de Almeria (PSA) is the largest center in Europe dedicated to researching, developing and testing concentrating solar technologies.

Oldenburg

In the coating laboratory at the DLR site in Oldenburg work doctoral students from the Institute of Solar Research and other employees from the Institute of Networked Energy Systems. As part of a cooperation with the Institute of Networked Energy Systems, the Institute is using the existing infrastructure for research work, for the production of optical coatings for concentrated solar thermal (CST) components, for example.