Systems with integrated phase change materials (PCMs) offer considerable potential for heating and cooling buildings more efficiently. However, so far there has been very little practical experience that has been underpinned by reliable measurement and monitoring data. In the PCM-Demo II research project, eight partners from research and industry are investigating and assessing PCM systems in various applications in the building sector. The preliminary results are now available.  more...

How can the high energy consumption required for ventilating “clean rooms” in healthcare and industrial production be reduced while ensuring equal or even better protection against airborne particles and germs? This question was investigated by researchers from Hermann-Rietschel-Institut (HRI). They built a research laboratory with two cleanrooms. The results provide a detailed picture of the air flow processes and improved design principles for constructing and operating cleanrooms.  more...

Until now, most support structures for offshore wind turbines rest on piles that have been driven deep into the sand. This construction method causes noise and high technical complexity. An alternative to this are suction buckets. These are steel cylinders open at the bottom and closed at the top, which externally resemble inverted buckets and are sucked into the ground by artificial negative pressure inside. Large-scale tests are currently underway at Testzentrum Tragstrukturen in Hanover in order to optimise the installation of the bodies and investigate possible compressive and tensile loads.  more...

So-called bifacial solar cells can convert incident light into electrical current both on their fronts and backs. They are up to 30 per cent more powerful than conventional monofacial cells that use only their fronts. The hitherto very complicated production of such double-sided solar cells has now been made simpler and less expensive by means of a newly developed doping process.  more...

Each time the fuel-air mixture is ignited in petroland diesel engines a small portion of the gases flows from the combustion chamber into the crankcase as leakage current. For the engines to function optimally, it is necessary to dissipate these so-called blow-by gases and separate the engine oil droplets contained within them. This reduces the pollutant emissions and oil consumption of the engines. For modern, higher-compression engines, researchers have developed new and effective separation systems that undercut the more stringent emission limits for oil mist.  more...

The operation of ships causes considerable pollutant emissions. Future ship propulsion systems must therefore be more environmentally friendly. One possible way is to operate engines with natural gas rather than diesel. They have lower emissions when compared with current diesel engines without exhaust after-treatment. Researchers are developing and testing components and control instruments for this economical new generation of engines. They are aiming to reduce the engines' CO₂ emissions and halve them in future.  more...

The Margaretenau residential district in Regensburg is being modernised to improve its energy efficiency. The designers are developing a solar-active and -adaptive exterior render system as a replacement for conventional thermal insulation for the facades. This should increase the solar yields and improve the thermal comfort inside the buildings. The energy supply will be provided by a new and efficient hybrid heating system consisting of cogeneration and heat pump technology.  more...

If the receiver insulation is damaged, the efficiency of solar tower power plants decreases. Repairing or replacing the insulation takes time and money. In conjunction with industrial partners, scientists at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have developed cavity insulation that utilises new material combinations. Tests show that the market-ready insulation is more robust than previous models.  more...

The integration of thermal storage in cogeneration plants leads to more flexibility in district heating networks because the power generation can be better adapted to the power requirements. Power-to-heat systems couple the electricity and heating sectors to utilise renewable electricity for district heating. Together with partners from science and industry, researchers at the TU Berlin have investigated when the construction of heat storage and power-to-heat systems can be economically and ecologically beneficial.  more...

The way in which electricity distribution networks operate is changing considerably as a result of the energy transition. Decentralised systems are increasingly being connected via the Internet with the central control rooms of the energy providers for control purposes. The risks that can arise due to security loopholes in the information system are accordingly growing. In a guide, researchers at Bremen University of Applied Sciences show how the operational management can be secured and how the risks can be limited if measures fail.  more...