The modular, large-scale M5BAT battery storage system recently began operating in Aachen, Germany. With a 5 MW output and a storage capacity of 5 megawatt-hours, it is the largest battery storage system currently being researched. Together with industrial partners, scientists at RWTH Aachen are testing the interaction of five different battery types and are developing business models for decentralised storage systems in actual grid operation.  more...

How can urban regions contribute more to the energy transition? To find this out, scientists are investigating virtual energy storage systems in Herten in North Rhine-Westphalia and in Wunsiedel in Bavaria. The field trial started on 30 June 2016.  more...

What role will functional storage systems play in the energy supply system of the future? Which system infrastructure can economically secure a reliable energy supply in 2030? And what measures must the government take so that this system infrastructure can prevail on the market? Scientists at the Research Center for Energy Economics (FfE) are trying to get to the bottom of these questions with an ongoing study. The results are now available.  more...

Last week, the ETA model factory officially opened its doors. Here, scientists at the Technical University (TU) Darmstadt are researching under real conditions and at full scale how industry can use energy more efficiently by linking all building and production components. By considering the entire system – consisting of machines, energy storage systems, building technology and the building envelope – the intention is to reduce the primary energy requirement in production by 40 per cent.  more...

The demands that drivers place on electric vehicles are high indeed: both range and performance have to be sufficient. In addition, batteries are subject to a steady decline of capacity. As performance and capacity deteriorate, a new battery is needed. Retired units are still suitable for other purposes, for example, for raising the self-consumption of solar power systems or supporting the grid.  more...

At the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), researchers are using lime as a storage medium in a specially developed heat storage system. This enables heat to be stored in the form of a reversible reaction. Such storage systems can help large amounts of energy to be used more efficiently in industrial processes and households. The new plant has now been put into operation.  more...

The world's largest electrolysis plant of its kind has been created in Energiepark Mainz. It has an electrical connected load of six megawatts and can produce up to 1,000 cubic metres of hydrogen per hour from renewably generated electricity. The hydrogen produced can be stored on site, transported in tanks or fed into the natural gas network where it can be used at a later point for generating electricity or heat. The plant has now been officially inaugurated.  more...

The electricity grids in Germany have to be expanded to cope with decentralised generators and increasingly more large-scale loads. For grid operators it is therefore important to gain an overview of the necessary measures and their effectiveness even before installing new operating resources. Special simulation and planning tools are suitable for this. As part of the Novel E-Mobility Grid (NEMO) research project, scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have developed a software programme that can help to analyse and plan power grids.  more...

The fact that energy storage systems have a role to play in the energy transition is hardly controversial. But statements about the actual demand, competitive solutions and application scenarios sometimes contradict each other. The Fraunhofer institutes UMSICHT and IWES have examined studies on the topics of electricity storage systems and Power-to-Gas.  more...

Which contribution can energy storage systems make to the energy transition? How can they be employed economically? And what are the future research priorities? These were the questions answered during the 2nd status seminar on energy storage systems in Berlin last week. Half-time for the Energy Storage Research Initiative, and time to look at the score.  more...