2021

Following the Bundestag’s decision of June 2021 on the Climate Protection Act (KSG), which tightened climate regulations and moved the goal for climate neutrality in Germany to 2045, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE recalculated the results of its study "Pathways to a Climate-Neutral Energy System" with its energy system model REMod. The Institute works with four scenarios to analyze the effects of societal trends on achieving the climate targets. The results show that the reduction targets are still achievable by 2045, but along different paths and at different costs.

This year the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE celebrates its 40th anniversary. As the largest solar research institute in Europe with currently around 1300 employees, Fraunhofer ISE has been contributing to Germany’s energy transition since it was founded in 1981. Today, the institute has become a major global trailblazer and research partner for an energy supply based on 100 percent renewable energy.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE is developing refrigeration circuits for heat pumps which shall operate as efficiently as possible with low amounts of the climate-friendly refrigerant propane. This research is carried out in project “LC150 - Development of a Refrigerant-reduced Heat Pump Module with Propane”, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy BMWi. In an automated cross-evaluation, a team from the institute is testing various components of heat pumps on the large scale, in which dozens of component combinations under different operating parameters are investigated. The main objectives are to further reduce the volume of required refrigerant, to identify methodological correlations and to obtain data for the simulation of heat pump design. The measurement campaign collects an abundance of parameter variations 24/7 over one year, thus generating a unique database.

M10 Industries AG and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and have developed a matrix shingle concept for connecting silicon solar cells and a new stringer for manufacturing novel matrix shingle modules. The stringer, which arranges the shingle solar cells offset from each other similar to bricks in a masonry wall, was built within the Shirkan project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). This shingle arrangement results in increased efficiency, a homogeneous appearance and improved shading tolerance of photovoltaic modules. The first prototypes for matrix shingle modules will be shown by Fraunhofer ISE at Intersolar Europe Restart 2021 (October 6-8, Messe München, Booth A6.370).

A heavy-duty truck weighing 18 tons and equipped with a 3.5 kilowatt-peak photovoltaic system is now driving on Germany's roads. The commercial vehicle with integrated high-voltage photovoltaic system and feed-in to the 800-volt traction battery has been approved for road traffic. The solar power produced directly on the vehicle can cover 5 to 10 percent of the truck's energy needs. In the Lade-PV project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, with its project partners from industry and the Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems IVI, has developed solar PV modules and power electronics for integration in commercial vehicles. This truck, the first equipped with these PV modules, has now passed the technical inspection, marking a milestone towards more climate-friendly road freight transport.

As part of the project “APV-Obstbau”, BayWa r.e. and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have cooperated with other research partners to set up an agrivoltaic system for research purposes at the “Bio-Obsthof Nachtwey” in Gelsdorf, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is the first system of its kind in Germany. The total test area for the project covers around 9100 square meters. The agrivoltaic system, which has a capacity of 258 kWp, has been installed on approximately one third of the plot.

With modern non-destructive test methods, scientist of Fraunhofer IKTS and the research group Smart Ocean Technologies (SOT) analyze the battery state of underwater robots, so-called Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV). Such underwater vehicles are being used more and more frequently and for longer periods of time: they inspect drilling platforms, maintain underwater gas pipelines, search for cracks in offshore wind turbines, collect marine data or map the fauna and flora on the seabed. Better battery management should now reduce deployment costs and ensure that these underwater robots can dive for longer.

The next generation of solar cells will contribute significantly to a sustainable power supply on a global scale. For state of the art technologies such as PERC (Passivated emitter and rear cell, a team from the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP has now researched an active mechanism that can be used to optimize high-performance cells.

Power electronics in wind turbines ensure that the fluctuating energy generated is fed evenly into the grid. The materials and components used in this process are exposed to extreme stress. Together with partners, the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS has now developed an approach for significantly more robust solutions. The new components from the chip to the system level, tested on a megawatt test bench, reduce switching losses, improve power density and reliability, and enable a 50 percent increase in service life.

The offshore wind turbines of the future are set to produce molecules instead of electrons. Self-sufficient units comprising a wind turbine and an integrated electrolyzer produce green hydrogen on an industrial scale and save the costs of connection to the grid. In this way, they can make a significant contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In a second phase, the green hydrogen can be converted into further synthetic fuels and energy carriers. This vision is now intended to become a reality in the scope of the H2Mare flagship project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Automated and measurement-based process control as a new path to a photovoltaic industry 4.0: The Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP aims to drive technological developments in international photovoltaics for competitive production processes from Germany with an industry-oriented platform that offers the possibility of interplay between statistical quality control and new approaches to data-based process analysis.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, supported by PSE Projects GmbH, has been publishing the PV Report on a regular basis for the past decade. The report contains a compilation of the most important facts on photovoltaics (PV) in Germany, the European Union and worldwide, documenting, in particular, the development of the photovoltaic market, solar cell and module efficiency as well as the prices over the last decades. The latest edition is freely available on the Fraunhofer ISE website as of today.

Large component layout confirmed: Following the approval of funding for the Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven at the former Luneort airfield, the project work started behind the scenes first of all. The first major step was to commission a general contractor to design specific layout plans for the facilities. This is a fundamental prerequisite for any necessary permits. The connection of the test field to the virtual grid of Fraunhofer IWES’ Dynamic Nacelle Testing Labora-tory (DyNaLab) large-scale testing facility and the generation of the electrolysis energy from wind power is a unique selling point.

The use of hydrogen holds great potential for decarbonizing industry and thus makes an important contribution to protecting the climate. Innovative hydrogen technologies are the key to a promising and growing market. The state of Thuringia is therefore supporting the new hydrogen application center at the Erfurter Kreuz research campus “Industrial Hydrogen Technologies Thuringia (WaTTh)” with 6.9 million euros over three years. The state is providing a further 3.4 million euros for the purchase of a building in which Fraunhofer IKTS researchers can develop and test hydrogen technologies.

Floating photovoltaic power plants can contribute to the expansion of renewable energy without taking up land. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, RWE Renewables and the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) are working together to further develop this innovative technology with other partners. In the joint research project PV2Float, the partners are to test several floating PV systems with different structure designs under real conditions over a three-year period. An Evaluation for a suitable open pit lake for the implementation is currently ongoing.

Fraunhofer Energy Research has a new location: the showroom "ENIQ - Energy Intelligence by Fraunhofer" located on the EUREF campus in Berlin. The facility functions as an interactive platform to serve the transfer of knowledge. Stake-holders from business, politics and society can discuss relevant topics with sci-entists, initiate projects and create innovations. Event formats for different tar-get groups are complemented by an exhibition area where innovative demon-strators and exhibits from Fraunhofer Energy Research are on display.

In addition to the classical applications for solar cells on roofs and open spaces, photovoltaic devices can also be used with laser light for efficient power transmission. At the 48th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE recently presented how they were able to achieve a record conversion efficiency of 68.9% with a photovoltaic cell under monochromatic laser light. For this, the research team used a very thin photovoltaic cell made of gallium arsenide and applied a highly reflective, conductive mirror on the backside.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have presented the newest edition of their study on the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of renewable power plants. The fifth edition of the study analyzes the current costs and forecasts the future cost development up to 2040 based on technology-specific learning rates and market scenarios. "Wind and solar power plants in Germany have significantly lower LCOE costs than conventional power plants. Due to the rising price of CO2 certificates, the cost competitiveness of even existing coal and gas-fired plants will further decrease in the coming years," says project head Dr. Christoph Kost.

TotalEnergies announced the launch of the e-CO2Met project at the Hydrogen Lab Leuna together with the electrolyser manufacturer Sunfire, the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes CBP and the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS. Methanol can be produced from low-carbon hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide, which is an important approach to reducing climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions. With the ambition to produce climate-neutral methanol on site, this demonstration project will integrate the various components required to this end, such as the use of renewable energy.

The contamination of solar modules by dust and sand causes significant yield losses in the increasing use of photovoltaic systems in desert regions. In his doctoral thesis, Dr. Klemens Ilse from the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS researched the causes, analyzed the magnitudes and developed solution strategies. For this he was awarded the Schott AG Materials Prize.