Germany tests 'world's largest artificial sun'

German scientists hope the intense light from this giant artificial sun could help them create CO2-free fuel.₂for use in aircraft and automobiles.

German scientists have launched the "world's largest artificial sun" in the hope that its intense light source could be used to create environmentally friendly fuel.

The Synlight experiment is being conducted in Julich, about 30km west of Cologne, Germany. The experiment involves 149 high-power lamps that produce light 10,000 times more intense than natural sunlight on Earth.

Synlight produces light 10,000 times stronger than natural sunlight on Earth. (Photo: AP).

When all the lamps are rotated to focus the light on a single point, it can generate a heat of 3,500 degrees Celsius, 2 to 3 times the temperature of a kiln.

"If you enter a room with the lights on, you will be burned immediately," said Professor Bernard Hoffschmidt, research director at the German Aerospace Center.

The goal of the experiment is to find the optimal method of concentrating natural sunlight to create hydrogen fuel from water vapor.

Synlight is a huge energy hog. Four hours of operation consumes as much electricity as a four-person household uses in a year.

Scientists hope this experiment can help them find a way to produce hydrogen in a carbon-free form.

"We need billions of tons of hydrogen if we want to fly planes and cars with CO2-free fuel.₂“Climate change is accelerating so we need to step up innovation,” said Hoffschmidt.

According to Khoahoc.tv