Fraunhofer-GesellschaftSolar parks, wind turbines, biomass facilities – more and more electrical energy is coming from decentralized sources where supply can vary dramatically. After all, wind and solar energy are dependent on the weather and the time of day. Smart grids, innovative storage solutions and energy management systems will make it possible to use renewable energy as and when it is required and keep the grid stable.
Energy and Resources – Energy storage and management
Projects
Fraunhofer connects energy production and storage
Research News / 2.1.2020
The good news is that renewables account for nearly 50 percent of electricity generated in Germany. The bad news is that they lack the flexibility to adapt to the day’s fluctuating electricity demand. They only furnish electrical energy when the wind blows or the sun shines. In a perfect world, engineers would find a way to store the vast amounts of energy generated by renewables and coordinate power production and storage. And that is exactly what ES-FLEX-INFRA, a joint project led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing SCAI, aims to do.
A communal energy hub
Research News / 2.1.2020
The amount of energy produced by renewable sources ebbs and flows. The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM has found a smart work-around for these fluctuations. Its scientists developed an innovative energy management system that connects photovoltaic systems, batteries, heat pumps and electric cars to power individual households or entire neighborhoods with locally produced renewable energy.
“KaSiLi”: Better batteries for electric cars “Made in Germany”
New thin-film electrodes made of silicon and lithium for the “Research Fab Battery”
In the umbrella concept “Research Fab Battery”, German scientists want to develop novel batteries that are capable of storing at least 70 percent more energy for electric vehicles and smartphones than conventional lithium-ion solutions while maintaining the same volume. As part of the cluster of competence for battery materials “ExcellBattMat“ funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Dresden's “ExcellBattMat Center” (project KaSiLi: structural cathode adaptation for silicon and lithium materials) contributes key components for this new battery generation. On November 1, 2019, researchers from Fraunhofer, TU Dresden and Leibniz started working together on innovative battery electrodes consisting of ultra-thin silicon or lithium layers to achieve high energy densities.
Dynamic energy management system for SMBs
Solar power, wind power and the lot – the growing use of renewable energy sources is resulting in substantial fluctuations in energy production. Fraunhofer researchers have now made it possible to design industrial processes in small and medium-sized businesses to be demand-responsive. This enables companies to maximize their use of green power from their own power plants, to respond to fluctuations, and, in the future, to contribute to stabilizing the energy supply.
Redox flow battery
More and more electricity is being generated from intermittent sources of power, such as solar and wind energy. Powerful electric energy storage devices are necessary to level out corresponding irregularities in the power supply. Fraunhofer scientists have recently made an important breakthrough with their development of a redox flow battery that reaches stack power up to 25 kW, with a cell size of 0.5 square meters.
HYPOS – Hydrogen Production Using Surplus Power
The HYPOS project proposes to convert the power from wind and solar energy plants into hydrogen so as to always be able to supply the requested amount of energy and materials. To achieve this, surplus power is to be converted into hydrogen through chemical processes so that it can be stored, transported and used continuously.