【Oh Mi】

German scientists have Oh Mijust switched on the world's largest "artificial sun," an instrument they say could be a game-changing technology in the fight against climate change.

With 149 high-powered lamps, the Synlight system produces light about 10,000 times the intensity of natural sunlight on the Earth's surface. When concentrated on a single spot, the lamps can generate scorching temperatures of around 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit.

The scientists say they eventually hope to harness that heat to produce hydrogen fuels, a carbon-free alternative for vehicles and airplanes.

SEE ALSO: This giant offshore wind farm will be the largest in the U.S.

A group of scientists and German officials unveiled the $3.8 million system this week at the German Aerospace Center's research facility in Jülich, a town in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Within the facility, the Synlight experiment sits in a protective radiation chamber.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"We need to expand existing technology in practical ways in order to achieve renewable energy targets, but the energy transition will falter without investments in innovative research," Johannes Remmel, the environment minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, said in a statement.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Similar light-based technologies already exist in the U.S. desert. Sprawling solar power stations use mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto water. That heat in turn produces steams, which spins turbines and generates clean electricity.

The Synlight team is studying whether their artificial sun could do something similar, but with hydrogen fuels.

Hydrogen is sometimes called the "fuel of the future" because, unlike petroleum and natural gas, it doesn't produce carbon dioxide when burned. Hydrogen fuels are made by extracting the chemical from water vapor -- a process that requires an enormous amount of energy to create.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

If companies get that energy from coal or natural gas power plants, then the hydrogen fuels aren't truly a zero-carbon alternative.

The artificial German sun won't immediately fix this conundrum, because Synlight itself requires a vast amount of electricity to operate. Just four hours of operation consumes as much electricity as a four-person household in a year, the Guardian noted.

But the scientists said eventually they hope to harness natural sunlight to produce the hydrogen.

"Renewable energies will be the mainstay of global power supply in the future," said Karsten Lemmer, an executive board member of the German Aerospace Center, said in the statement.

---

Featured Video For You

---

This blooming solar system harvests energy from the sun like a flower

---

Topics Sustainability

• Science
• Games
• Life
• Tech
• Entertainment
• Digital Culture
• Deals
• Social Good

• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for April 17, 2025
• Facebook's next product frontier is reportedly newsletters
• Robinhood to reopen GameStop buying after $1 billion raise
• Robinhood to reopen GameStop buying after $1 billion raise
• NYT Connections hints and answers for May 1: Tips to solve 'Connections' #690.
• Jeff Bezos to step down as Amazon CEO
• If you didn't know, Puerto Rico is surrounded by ocean water, according to Trump
• Disney+ greenlights Wakanda series from Ryan Coogler
• Anker raises Amazon prices amid US tariffs
• The 13 best tweets of the week, including GameStop jokes, LMFAO, and Thanos

• Here's what Trump paid for each new Biden vote in Wisconsin
• What We’re Loving: Porto Pim, Montana, Cat Pianos by The Paris Review
• What We’re Loving: Romanian Cinema, African Art by The Paris Review
• Last Chance, Poseurs! Win a Briefcase by Sadie Stein
• Joe Biden flexes shiny new .gov address, Twitter very much approves
• watchOS 10: How to add widgets to Apple Watch
• Exercise with a mask on can be really good for you, actually
• Diego, Frida, and Me by Molly Crabapple
• Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for June 19
• Joe Biden winning memes are celebrating the election results... again and again

• Parental Controls: How to Lock Down Your Kids' iOS Devices
• Pound out your pandemic stress with Theragun and Hypervolt's massage guns
• Apple's Black Unity Apple Watch is now available for purchase
• No, this NFL player didn't burn a U.S. flag in the locker room
• Amazon Book Sale: Shop early deals now
• Pound out your pandemic stress with Theragun and Hypervolt's massage guns
• Disney World is having some real spelling trouble on one of its new road signs
• How to decide if you should confront that annoying coworker
• Best roborock deal: Save $400 on Q5 Pro+ Robot Vacuum and Mop
• Elon Musk changes Twitter bio to #bitcoin, chaos ensues

• Wordle today: The answer and hints for April 14, 2025
• Hefner's son is embarrassed that Trump made Playboy's cover
• Hefner's son is embarrassed that Trump made Playboy's cover
• You can use Facebook Messenger with an Oculus Quest headset now
• Parental Controls: How to Lock Down Your Kids' iOS Devices
• Uber is definitely not happy with Travis Kalanick's board appointments
• If you didn't know, Puerto Rico is surrounded by ocean water, according to Trump
• 'Zack Snyder's Justice League' lands on HBO Max in March
• Barcelona Open 2025 livestream: Watch live tennis for free
• Hungry skunk got into a sticky McSituation, but one officer came to the rescue