Solar Thermal Park Tübingen

The solar thermal park “Au” in Tübingen is a pioneering project in renewable heat supply. With a collector surface of more than 12,000 m², the plant is one of the largest solar thermal parks in Southern Germany. The generated heat is efficiently fed into the district heating network of Stadtwerke Tübingen via a DN 200 pipe. A 1,250 m³ heat storage tank enables flexible use of solar heat and also functions as a network buffer. A special feature of the system is its environmentally friendly design: thanks to the AquaSolar system, only pure water is used as the heat transfer medium, making operation possible in the sensitive water protection zone II.

This project is a key component of the heating transformation in Tübingen. It supports the city’s goal of becoming climate neutral by 2030, saving around 880 tonnes of CO₂ annually. The combination of large-scale solar thermal energy and innovative storage technology demonstrates how sustainable heat supply can be implemented in urban areas.

• Annual CO₂ savings of approx. 880 tonnes
• Thermal output: 7 MW
• Annual heat generation: 6,000 MWh
• Heat storage capacity: 1,250 m³
• Collector surface: 12,172 m² vacuum tube collectors
• Investment volume: approx. €15 million

Image credits: Stadtwerke Tübingen