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...

Companies and scientists are investigating the storage of fluctuating wind energy in the form of hydrogen on a research plant located in the Mainz-Hechtsheim commercial zone. All key components from generation and storage to utilisation at an industrial scale are being looked at and interlinked with innovative technology components. The PtG plant (Power-to-Gas) at megawatt scale facilitates not only the chemical long-term storage of energy. It furthermore interconnects the electricity, heat and mobility sectors.  more...

Sustainable energy provision is to be developed for the urban district of Rüsdorfer Kamp in Heide. The QUARREE100 research project is investigating how the district could be fully supplied with local or regional renewable energy sources. One goal is to integrate the regionally generated wind power into the regional energy system in an economically efficient and system-serving way.  more...

Together with the industrial partner Linde AG, researchers from the German Aerospace Center have further developed a latent heat storage system based on nitrate salts. In combination with a cascade of sensible heat storage units, the goal is to maintain the electricity production of solar thermal power plants at night and at times with low solar irradiation. To this end, the scientists have developed a storage system that can also be used for conventional steam power plants and industrial processes.  more...

Synlight is the name of the world's largest artificial sun, which is situated in Jülich near Aachen. Its bundled light is 10,000 times stronger than the sun. With this energy, researchers want to test solar thermal components in order to produce hydrogen directly – without having to use electrolysis. Last week, the research facility was officially inaugurated.  more...

Until now, the energy and transport sectors were considered separately from one another in the energy balance. The “Energy transition in transport” funding initiative by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) is entering into force to change that. It is intended to help bring the energy and transport sectors closer together and advance the technological possibilities in a cross-system approach encompassing a wide range of vehicles.  more...

Uhland School in Stuttgart, which dates back to the 1950s, no longer accorded with today's structural and energetic standards. The renovation work is now almost complete and the City of Stuttgart is getting its first energy-plus school. A photovoltaic system on the roof and façade of the building covers the electricity requirement.  more...

Thermoelectric generators convert waste heat directly into electricity. They utilise temperature differences and are paving the way for more energy-efficient production processes. However, the technology has previously led a niche existence because the module production is labour-intensive and therefore expensive. Researchers from Freiburg now want to improve this.  more...

Metal hydrides store hydrogen and heat. Their use in thermochemical storage systems is hampered, however, by the material's poor heat conductivity. To increase the charging and discharging performance, researchers are pelletising the material together with graphite, which has a high thermal conductivity. With different metal hydrides they can cover the temperature range from room temperature up to 400 degrees Celsius.  more...

A newly developed gasification process utilises waste plastics, carbon-containing sorting residues and rubber parts as well as shredded materials in the automotive industry. It can also process chlorine-containing plastic streams with PVC fractions in an environmentally friendly and efficient manner. It produces a purified syngas without flue gas emissions. In the process, lime serves as a transport medium and simultaneously binds halogens and other harmful substances. The gas generated in the shaft kiln can replace valuable primary energy sources such as natural gas in high-temperature processes or be used to generate electricity in efficient gas engines.  more...