The Solar Power Tower Julich -: a solar thermal power plant for test and demonstration of air receiver technology

The open volumetric receiver technology allows the use of air as heat transfer medium at high temperatures in solar thermal power tower plants. It combines porous ceramic or metallic absorber structures with a strictly modular receiver design. Highly concentrated solar radiation is used to produce hot air as 'firing' for a steam rankine cycle. The advantages of this technology are simplicity and scalability, the ability to include a thermal storage, the low thermal capacity and a high efficiency potential. This receiver technology was developed in various joint projects of research and industry over the past years. It was tested and qualified in the worlds largest test center for concentrating solar power, the Plataforma Solar de Almeria (PSA) in Southern Spain with a nominal power of 3 MW incident radiation. In June 2006 it was decided to build a tower power plant with thermal storage in Julich, Germany, with a design power of 1,5 MWe. The objectives of this plant are to test and demonstrate the solar air technology as a complete system, to develop control and plant management strategies and to improve the overall performance and reliability. The location in Germany was chosen as it is close to the research institutions involved and it allows the investigation of the system performance under fluctuating irradiation conditions. The Solar Power Tower Julich is scheduled to start operation by the end of 2008. The five year project comprises design, construction and a two year test operation phase, accompanied by an intensive R&D program. The experiences of this project will be a vital step towards a successful market introduction. The paper explains the fundamentals of the open volumetric receiver technology and shows the history of its development. It gives technical information about the system definition and the engineering of the Solar Power Tower Julich.