Let there be light: Germans switch on 'largest artificial sun'

<script data-ad-client="pub-2876549944770997" async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/ pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>

The Synlight project is powered by 149 industrial-grade film projector spotlights.

 

On March 23, the world’s largest artificial sun started emitting light in German town Julich. The town is situated 30 km west of Cologne city in western Germany. The artificial sun, which is powered by 149 industrial-grade film projector spotlights, is designed to create an alternate source of energy that can in turn be used to generate climate-friendly fuel. The experiment has been officially named Synlight.

Here’s all you need to know about it:

The project has been designed by German Aerospace Center (DLR) scientists. The project has been set-up in a three-story building and each projector emits light which is 4,000 times the average bulb.

A report published on the DLR website states: “Scientists can focus these ‘radiators’ on an area of 20 by 20 centimeters. With Synlight’s 350-kilowatt array, this results in 10,000 times the intensity of the solar radiation at Earth’s surface. Temperatures at the target point of the lamps can reach up to 3,000 degrees Celsius. Researchers use these temperatures to manufacture fuels, including hydrogen.”