Synlight

Synlight "sun"

Synlight is an artificially produced sun that uses xenon high-performance lamps to generate artificial light for research purposes. It consists of 149 spotlights, each with the light output of a large cinema projector. This corresponds to a light intensity of at least 10,000 times the natural solar radiation .

development

Building in which the experimental setup is located

The Synlight solar reactor was manufactured by scientists from the DLR Institute for Solar Research in Jülich and put into operation for the first time on March 23, 2017.

Technical specifications

With 149 xenon short-arc lamps , irradiance levels of 5 MW / m² and temperatures of up to 3000 ° C are achieved. They are arranged in a honeycomb shape on a 14 by 16 meter wide area. The lampshades mirrored on the inner surface have a diameter of 1 m each.

Scientific fields of application

With Synlight, radiation tests for experiments in space are possible. Receiver components for solar power plants can be tested, and large-scale experiments for the photochemical production of fine chemicals are possible with this system, and new hydrogen-based fuels can also be produced with it in the future. The aim is to develop climate-friendly fuels for aircraft.

costs

The state of North Rhine-Westphalia supported the project with 2.4 million euros, an additional 1.1 million euros were provided by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy .

Web links

Commons : Synlight - collection of images