As part of the 5hine project, TU Dortmund University investigated the potential applications of 5G technology in concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. These plants use tens of thousands of motorized mirrors to focus sunlight onto a central receiver, which converts the energy into electricity or chemical processes. This technology enables, among other things, the production of CO2-neutral fuel for aviation.
Controlling the mirrors, known as heliostats, requires reliable communication solutions. Currently, this is mostly achieved using expensive and maintenance-intensive cable networks. The 5hine project investigated whether 5G networks could offer a more cost-effective and flexible alternative.
The studies showed that 5G technology can effectively meet the communication requirements in CSP power plants by supporting both numerous low-data-rate heliostats and high-data-rate applications, such as calibration drones. These results were presented to Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia, in May 2024.
Source: 5G.NRW
