1. Introduction
In its 6th Energy Research Programme, the Federal Government of Germany plans a very ambitious reduction in
primary energy consumption: 60% of the country’s energy consumption should be delivered in the form of
renewable energy by 2050. This can only be achieved if the industrial process heat demand can be supplied partly by
renewable energies. Viessmann, Industrial Solar, and DLR have joined forces to develop a solution that will enable
industry to contribute its share to reach this goal by 2050.
The Viessmann Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of heating and renewable energy systems.
Viessmann employs over 9,400 employees worldwide and has an annual turnover of approximately 1.7 billion
Euros. As a market leader in industrial steam boilers, and with their strong commitment to make steam generation
more sustainable, Viessmann is an ideal partner for this project.
Industrial Solar (IS) was founded in 2008 in the environment of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems
in Freiburg. IS manufactures linear concentrating Fresnel collectors and provides turn-key installations of solar
process heat systems for industrial applications. Back in 2009 they realized their first direct steam generation system
and have continued to develop this technology since then.
Since the late 1970’s, when the IEA Small Solar Power Plant Project laid the foundations for modern solar
thermal power plant technology, DLR has contributed greatly to the technological progress in this field. Basic
research in direct steam generation started in the 1990’s and led to its first commercial application in solar thermal
power plants in Spain and Thailand [1] as well as pilot installations of process steam in Germany and
Thailand [2],[3].