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...

Waste heat is produced in all areas of daily life – in industry, homes and transport. In Germany alone, this adds up to a waste heat potential of 300 TWh per year. This energy volume corresponds to nearly half the total energy consumed by German industry. Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) can tap into this huge energy reservoir and transform the "waste energy" without moving parts into a higher form of energy.  more...

Researchers are developing a new approach for generating energy from tidal currents. Here they are combining a semi-submerged platform with several small-sized instream turbines. This means that the tidal power plant requires less maintenance than is usually required. However, in order to achieve the highest possible energy yields it requires strong water currents. Canada’s Bay of Fundy has an exceptionally high tidal range exceeding 15 metres. This is where it is planned to build the hydropower plant so that it can provide the first electricity in 2017.  more...

In the production of landfill gas, other gases are produced alongside the desired methane that damage motors and turbines. To protect these plant components, trace compounds of organic silicon contained in the gases are separated beforehand, e.g. by means of adsorption. The high consumption of the adsorbent, however, endangers the efficiency of the process. A research team has developed an on-site regeneration method for the adsorbent. This can increase the efficiency of the energy recovery of landfill gas.  more...

Energy research contributes towards the development of the processes and technologies necessary for achieving the goals of the energy turnaround. The German government has been continuously increasing funding for energy research since 2006. In 2013 alone, it spent 100 million euros more on this than in the prior year. This reinforced above all the research areas of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. It provided just under 300 million euros for each of these subjects.  more...

The sources of renewable energy –sun, wind, water and biomass – account for a large share of the electricity production in Germany. At the beginning of July 2014, solar energy covered the entire peak load. This is shown in the new online “Energy Charts” database at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE.  more...

At the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the small-scale production of lithium-ion cells has begun. The goal in the research factory is to reduce production costs by developing process engineering for the mass market. Researchers aim to use this to help the lithium-ion batteries make a breakthrough as stationary and mobile storage facilities.  more...

Yesterday, the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) awarded the environment prize for the 20th time. German President Joachim Gauck presented the prize in the Gewandhaus hall in Leipzig to co-founder of SMA Solar Technology AG, Günther Cramer, and to the Freiburg researchers Dr. Andreas Bett from the Fraunhofer ISE and Hansjörg Lerchenmüller from Soitec Solar GmbH. In these times of crisis, the foundation aims to send a message through the award winners from the photovoltaic sector.  more...