The new, energy-optimised building for the Willibald Gluck Secondary School in Neumarkt (Upper Palatinate, Germany) utilises solar energy and near-surface geothermal energy. The first year in regular operation has provided good values: the heat pumps are contributing their planned share to the heat generation and the photovoltaic systems cover 35 per cent of the electricity consumed for the building operation and use. Storing the PV electricity in a vanadium redox flow battery has not, however, increased the proportion of self-consumed electricity during the first year of operation. The operation of the ventilation systems also provides potential for optimisation.  more...

A team of students from Berlin University of the Arts and Technische Universität Berlin designed a net energy plus building for the Solar Decathlon Europe 2014 competition. The house is now being rebuilt on the Charlottenburg campus. It is intended for use as a seminar room and laboratory in the future. After minor modifications and with additional measurement technology, the students can learn about energy monitoring with a real building as an example.  more...

In the Upper Rhine Graben, natural geological thermal deposits can be tapped at comparatively low depths with bore wells. In a Franco-German research project in Alsace, scientists have been researching the process of utilising heat from crystalline rock for years, whereby they have optimised the concept and technology. At the site of the research facility, two power companies opened a new commercial power plant in 2016. The electricity is fed into the French grid. In Germany, around 95% of geothermal resources are also found in deep rock and 5% in natural thermal water layers.  more...

In solar tower power plants, multiple mirrors – called heliostats – direct the sunlight to the receiver at the top of the tower. Heliostats have previously had a rectangular shape. However, engineers have now developed a pentagonal concentrator mirror. They are combining this with a low-cost linear drive and new control software. Five of these heliostats are now being mounted and tested on test platforms at Jülich.
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Last week, on 2nd May 2017, the German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Brigitte Zypries, opened the celebration for the anniversary of “40 years of energy research programmes in the German Federal Government” in the historic conference rooms of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in Berlin. She emphasised that research and development are important components in the large modernisation and investment project for energy transformation in Germany.
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Aluminium foils and sheets pass through a cold roll stand during the last processing step of their production. Rolling oils are sprayed on to cool and lubricate the rolls. Some of these kerosene-like hydrocarbons evaporate and vaporise in the ambient air. Large extraction hoods above the roll stand collect the contaminated air and feed it to a recycling plant.  more...

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Preparations are currently under way for a new energy research programme, which the German Federal Government intends to publish in the coming legislative period. In preparation, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy has started a discussion process between representatives from industry, science and politics in order to identify relevant fields of research. In this interview Dr Johannes Tambornino, Head of Energy Strategies and System Analysis at Project Management Jülich speaks about the growing importance of system analysis for energy research.  more...

How could more renewable energies be used that also stabilise the grid? To answer this question, researchers at the MEET Battery Research Centre at Münster University developed a new energy storage system based on dual-ion battery technology. Its long service life is promising for stationary applications.  more...

Molten salt can store large amounts of heat at high temperatures. In Cologne-Porz, researchers at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) are using a new test facility to find out where storage systems with only one tank could replace the common two-tank storage technologies. This would cut costs considerably. The system was presented to the public on 5 July 2017.  more...