A new database has been created which makes it easier to compare energy consumption in buildings in Europe. Data is available from 27 member states of the European Union, Croatia and Serbia. Diagrams enable users to make comparisons between countries at a single glance.  more...

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) are developing an oil vapour burner that enables conventional heating oil to be burnt in a modern condensing gas boiler device. In contrast to conventional oil burners, the new system can be regulated across a wide output range. It is intended to work with low emissions and provide economic benefits.  more...

Many small, decentralised power generators could replace conventional large-scale power plants. But how can wind, sun and bioenergy be integrated into the future power supply system? With the “Kombikraftwerk2”, researchers aim to show how power generation from 100 per cent renewable energies can be achieved and stabilised.  more...

The existing standards for photovoltaic modules are insufficient for hybrid collectors. Therefore researchers are now developing new testing procedures for these so-called PVT collectors, which produce both electricity and heat. The new guidelines are intended to make the operation of the systems and the yield forecasts more secure.  more...

What potential is provided by thermochemical storage systems? Researchers at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) have been pursuing this question. With a new test plant they are investigating the extent to which solar heat can be stored thermochemically for industrial processes and solar power plants.  more...

When it comes to transporting heat from boilers to heating surfaces or supplying cooling energy to cooling ceilings, water has proved to be an excellent heat transfer medium. However, in some application areas it is now facing competition: various research groups are working on heat transfer fluids that have at least double the energy density. Phase change materials such as paraffin, which are finely distributed in water, store heat when they melt and release it again when they solidify.  more...

In order to reduce emissions, it is planned that CO2 should be separated and further processed in the plastics industry. The CO2 will be bound in the long term and will replace crude oil, which as a raw material is in short supply. In this way, the nightmare climate killer can be used as a basis for sweet dreams. CO2 will be used as a raw material to produce mattresses.  more...

Researchers at the Technische Universität Darmstadt are hoping to discover emission-free ways of burning natural gas or coal. The technology is based on flame-free combustion. Prof. Dr. Bernd Epple, head of the department of energy systems and energy technology at the TU Darmstadt, explains the ECLAIR project. His team in the research partnership is investigating the “Emission Free Chemical Looping Coal Combustion Process”.  more...

Integrating charging stations for electric vehicles into street lamps is an approach that saves costs. What makes the idea so enticing is that the intelligent billing technology is not integrated into the charging station, as is usually the case, but in the car. In the first project stage a mobile measurement data recording system within the electric vehicle – the on-board metering system – has been developed to the pilot stage.  more...

The construction of an inner-city pilot route for superconductive cable has begun. The superconductive cable has hardly any electrical resistance. As a 10,000-volt cable, it can therefore transport just as much electricity as a 110,000-volt high-voltage cable. That saves space and simplifies the distribution networks. If the pilot project is successful, this can transform the electricity grids in urban areas.  more...