A school where you feel at home that at the same time consumes little energy during operation – that is the Niederheide primary school in Hohen Neuendorf. A ventilation system which combines mechanical and natural ventilation via the windows ensures a good air quality and a pleasant indoor environment in the classrooms. It is the first school in Germany to receive the Gold Medal for Sustainable Construction. It was certified in accordance with the Sustainable Construction Assessment System (BNB) developed by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB).  more...

Over the last number of months, the Sistine Chapel has been fitted out with LEDs as part of an EU pilot project. The LEDs provide greatly enhanced illumination compared to the existing lighting system dating back to the 1980s and consume less than half the amount of electricity. The spectrum of an LED contains virtually no ultraviolet and infrared radiation that might damage the artworks. This means that, unlike before, the lights can now be used directly inside the building.  more...

Researchers have developed a quadruple solar cell that converts 46 per cent of sunlight into electricity. The high-performance cells achieve this record-breaking efficiency in connection with optics that concentrate the light 508 times. If these cells were built in concentrator modules, energy would be produced even more economically in regions with high levels of sun.  more...

In cold climate zones, the wind is particularly strong meaning best conditions for a wind turbine. However, in the cold temperatures there is the danger of ice that can freeze onto rotor blades. This can lead to imbalances, impairment of the rotor blade’s aerodynamics and a drop in the efficiency of the turbine. The so-called carbon-nanotube coating offers a solution.  more...

The confectionary manufacturer, Ferrero, and the packaging specialist, Junghans, want to save half the energy that they previously required for production. With the help of a new energy monitoring system, they also want to become smart consumers: They would then purchase energy, when it is cheapest for them. A recently started research project will define what the companies have to change in terms of production and management.  more...

Through the ENPRO research initiative, chemical corporations BASF, Bayer and Evonik hope to bring to the market new products much more quickly from the lab and establish more energy-efficient manufacturing processes in cooperation with other companies and universities. The initiative envisages the application of continuous production processes for small product volumes too in the special chemicals sector and the phasing out thereby of batch-based manufacture. In doing so, the partner institutions are seeking to develop new methods and system and equipment concepts.  more...

Through the “Thermochemical energy storage unit for thermal power plants and industrial heat” project (TcET), researchers at TU Munich hope to increase the flexibility of fossil fuel power plants. The trick in all of this: If no or a reduced volume of electrical power is required, the plant does not power down. The surplus energy rather is temporarily stored in thermochemical storage systems.  more...

In October, the COORETEC research initiative organised by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy celebrated its tenth anniversary in Berlin. In recent years, around 500 research projects have been initiated and funded with more than 500 million euros invested by both the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and the industry.  more...

The batteries in electric vehicles can store surplus energy from the electricity grid. By the same token, they can feed back electrical energy to the grid at times of high demand for electricity. As part of the NET-INES project, scientists are investigating different charging and discharging strategies as well as the opportunities to market this service. For this purpose, they surveyed more than 600 vehicle owners.  more...

An efficient long-term heat storage tank boosts the shares of fraction of solar thermal energy systems in buildings. Staff at Bavarian Center for Applied Energy Research and at steel and metal engineering company Hummelsberger have developed a storage system that minimises thermal losses and optimises temperature stratification. A vacuum between the inner and outer tank combined with a perlite powder filling reduces the thermal conductivity of the storage tank shell.  more...