Kraftanlagen München GmbH
As general contractor, Kraftanlagen München GmbH is responsible for implementation of the project. In conjunction with the German Aerospace Centre (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt/DLR) and the Jülich Solar Institute of the Aachen University of Applied Sciences (SIJ), Kraftanlagen München (KAM) has developed a new method for solar thermal power plants.
Project development work was started in early 2005 and successfully completed at the end of 2006 with the award of the contract to KAM for the planning and construction of the experimental power plant. Within the space of only 6 months, the permit documentation was drawn up and the construction permit granted. The implementation phase was launched on 2 July 2007, when work on realisation plans and construction of the plant was commenced.
The experimental solar thermal power plant in Jülich is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2008, with an electrical capacity of 1.5 Megawatts. The owner and operator of the plant is Jülich Municipal Power Plants. The project is supported by the Federal Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Economics of Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia.
The aim of the project is to comprehensively test the solar tower power plant technology developed in Germany based on open volumetric receivers, optimise individual system components and acquire experience in operating a power plant of this type. The focus will be on further development of the receiver, testing the storage technology and optimising control strategies for all power plant components in order to take full advantage of solar radiation for power generation.
Once the project is completed, this innovative technology will be marketed in sun-rich countries around the world in the form of 10-50 MW power plants. Several Mediterranean countries have already expressed an interest.