The biggest artificial sun in the world outshines everything. This system, consisting of 149 powerful lamps and 10,000 times stronger than sunlight, is called the sun on Earth. This light source can reach a temperature of 3,000 °C by focusing on a single point. So what does it do?
The biggest artificial sun in the world outshines everything. This system, consisting of 149 powerful lamps and 10,000 times stronger than sunlight, is called the sun on Earth. This light source can reach a temperature of 3,000 °C by focusing on a single point. So what does it do?
For example, it can be used to test solar systems that will produce hydrogen fuel for aircraft in the future.
The world’s largest artificial lighting Synlight, consists of 149 lighting units, each containing 7,000 W xenon lamps.
The largest artificial lighting in the world Synlight, shines at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Solar Research Institute in Jülich.
“We use these lamps because their light looks so much like the sun,” says DLR project manager Kai Wieghardt.
The reflectors, covered with a mirror, have a diameter of one meter and are arranged in a honeycomb shape on a surface 14 meters high and 16 meters wide.
The angle of these light sources can be focused on an area of 20×20 cm. The radiation of lamps, which can reach up to 350 kilowatts, reaches 10,000 times the intensity of solar radiation on Earth at this point.
A burnt-out perforated metal plate hangs in front of the xenon lights at the DLR Solar Energy Center in Jülich. When all 149 lamps are focused on one point, they can reach a temperature of 3,000 °C.
This system can be used in the production of fuel for aircraft. It can also assist researchers in finding suitable metals.
Synlight’s cost is stated as € 3.5 million. The State of North Rhine-Westphalia financed the Synlight facility with € 2.4 million, 70%. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy also supported the project € 1.1 million.
