Energy agencies of the German Federal States of Baden-Württemberg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia have developed a tool under the name KOM.EMS for establishing and operating an energy management system for municipal administrations. The tool aids in evaluating, optimising and perpetuating energy management. The online tool was unveiled to the public on 13 September.  more...

The German cabinet has passed the new, 7th “Innovations for Energy Transition” Energy Research Programme. The programme replaces its predecessor from 2011. Content-wise, the programme builds on the successes of recent years, sets new courses and defines focal points for research funding and innovation policy in the energy sector. For the years 2018-2022, the German Government is budgeting 6.4 billion euros for energy research.  more...

The output of solar modules is usually less than the cumulative performance of the solar cells installed in these. Various optical and electrical loss mechanisms as well as optical gains influence the output of cells integrated into the photovoltaic module. Researchers are looking for ways to enhance the performance of modules without modifying cells. This involves combining components in a way that ensures that the achieved module output is greater than the added performance of individual cells.  more...

Large-scale solar thermal systems are being increasingly used in heating networks. The Steinbeis Research Institute Solites in collaboration with international partner organisations has created a newly designed information service on solar-supported heating networks at www.solare-waermenetze.de. At the heart of the web platform is a database that provides comprehensive technical and economic expert knowledge.  more...

The world’s largest high-temperature latent heat storage system reached its future deployment site, the Wellesweiler cogeneration plant of STEAG New Energies GmbH in the Saarland, upon a flatbed truck mid-September. The system is intended to ensure permanent steam supply to an adjacent plant for the production of plastic sheeting. To date, operation of an additional heating boiler has been required under continual minimal load. This currently takes over short-term steam supply in the event of a malfunction of the power plant turbine until a steam boiler is initiated.  more...

In order to achieve the goal of meeting Germany's energy demand almost completely with renewables by 2050, it is planned that facades and partially shaded surfaces should also be used for generating electricity by photovoltaic means. The modules that can be used for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) have to meet considerable requirements in terms of their appearance, performance and costs. Experts have summarised this need for action in their recommendations for the German federal government's 7th Energy Research Programme.  more...

A new, almost climate-neutral urban district is being built on the site of a former freight yard in Esslingen. Over a period of five years, scientists in the planned Neue Weststadt district are experimenting with an innovative energy supply concept with which electricity surpluses from intermittent renewable energies will be converted into hydrogen, stored and, if necessary, returned to the grid. The district will also serve as a real-world laboratory for the system-supportive coupling of the heating, cooling, electricity and mobility sectors.  more...

Last week, TU Dresden officially launched the long-term National 5G Energy Hub research project. This is aimed at making the future 5G mobile standard usable for applications in energy technology. Project partners are TU Dresden in cooperation with RWTH Aachen, Deutsche Telekom and Ericsson. In addition, the associated partners Techem, VDZ, E.ON and the city of Dresden are also involved.  more...

In the REGEES research project, a consortium from research and industry has developed optimal operating and control strategies for a reliable electrical energy supply in Germany. The aim is to fully integrate the feed-in from renewable energies created by 2030.  more...

Compensating supply fluctuations will prove vital in future power grids utilising high proportions of wind and solar energy. The demand driven generation of electricity from biogas can make a viable contribution in this regard. Researchers are developing new systems and software for biogas plants, integral in facilitating such flexible operational characteristics. This involves the precision monitoring and regulation of biogas production and conversion into electricity.  more...