Solar Cracking and Solar Reforming

Kurzfassung

Using concentrated solar radiation to heat up traditional chemical process is the straight forward way to introduce such technologies into industrial applications. Therefore solar steam reforming of methane has been tested on solar towers since at least 1989. After a time of rather low activities in the 1990s and early 2000s it is now the most developed high temperature solar process available and probably the first one to be scaled-up into an industrial pilot plant. Solar cracking is much more challenging because of the very high temperatures needed. However it has some advantages that are studied to find ways how to use it.