A solar thermal tower power plant will be taken into operation by the public utility company of the city of Jülich in spring 2009. Plane mirrors with a total surface area of 18 000 square metres redirect the solar radiation onto a so-called receiver that has been installed on a tower at a height of 60 metres. This receiver, which forms the core of the plant, was developed and patented at DLR. The solar tower allows researchers in Germany to conduct test and development activities right around the corner, so to speak. The results they obtain can then be transferred to much larger plants in the sunbelt countries of southern Europe or North Africa. Solar thermal power plants hold great potential for the global energy supply of the future.