Testsing and development of components and systems for commercial solar thermal power plants. The aim is to make solar thermal power plants more efficient. They also test processes for solar water splitting, the production of solar fuels and the use of solar heat in industrial processes.
More than 2,000 movable mirrors (heliostats) cover an area of around ten hectares in front of Jülich's two solar towers. They catch the sunlight, concentrate it and direct it onto the two solar towers.
In the solar tower power plant, a volumetric receiver at the top of the tower absorbs the concentrated sunlight and uses it to heat the surrounding air to up to 700 degrees Celsius. A steam generator inside the tower uses this to heat water into steam, which drives a turbine that produces electricity via a generator.
https://www.dlr.de/en/research-and-transfer/research-infrastructure/solar-towers-juelich
Due to the inverse square law this would be way more efficient if the tower was in the center surrounded by the reflecting mirrors. Unless I'm missing something?
It seems like that would massively increase complexity - right now the energy is collected at one point, having it collected all around the tower means more leakage and way less maximum energy.
I think you need to use the entire distance from the sun, which means the few meters between the mirrors is a miniscule difference