Technologies and Systems

Climate-Neutral Technologies

Various technologies can be used to decarbonize production processes and plants. The selection of suitable technologies depends on the respective requirements of the application as well as the available resources and infrastructure. Optimum design and integration of these technologies is the prerequisite for high efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

  • High-temperature heat pump for operation with butane and pentane
    © Fraunhofer ISE

    Heat pumps upgrade environmental or waste heat by raising the temperature and thus making the energy usable again. The useful heat is a multiple of the electrical energy used, which in turn is ideally generated from renewable sources. In industry, heat pumps are used in power ranges up to the MW range and for temperatures up to around 250°C and can be adapted to the requirements of the industry or process. Heat pumps are particularly economical when both heating and cooling are required in process chains. In combination with heat storage systems, they can also provide flexibility options for electricity procurement.

  • © iStock.com/alexey_ds

    For temperatures above 250°C or in applications without sufficient waste heat sources, electrical energy (e.g. generated from renewable sources) can be converted directly into heat using various technologies. Examples include heating rods or immersion heaters for heating a transfer medium or process medium, or electrode boilers for generating process steam. In combination with heat storage systems, direct electric heating systems can provide additional flexibility options when purchasing electricity or help to reduce peak loads.

  • © Fraunhofer ISE

    In thermal collectors, solar radiation is converted directly into heat and transferred to processes or heat storage units. The thermal storage enables the decoupling of generation and use of renewable heat over time. With various collector technologies, process heat from low temperatures up to around 200°C can be provided economically. Usually, solar thermal energy supplements another heat source that ensures security of supply. By investing in solar thermal energy, you make yourself independent of fluctuating energy prices; as an alternative to your own investment, many providers of solar thermal technologies now offer heat supply contracts.

  • Photovoltaics converts solar radiation directly into renewable electrical energy. With a dedicated roof-, façade- or ground-mounted system, electricity procurement can be reduced and renewable process heating or cooling can also be generated with heat pumps or direct electrical heating systems. Depending on the application, the use of thermal or battery storage systems can significantly increase the renewable share of the energy consumed.

  • Heat or cold storage systems enable the temporal decoupling of the generation and use of renewably generated heat or cold, both for renewable heat (solar thermal, geothermal) or via electricity. In times of low purchase prices, heat (power-to-heat) or cooling can be generated cheaply with electrical energy and is later available for your processes as required. Waste heat can also be stored so that it can then be used again as required.

  • Electrical storage systems (large battery systems) are useful where large quantities of renewable electricity cannot be used or fed to the grid directly, or where peak loads need to be reduced (peak shaving).

  • © istock.com / Petmal

    Hydrogen can be used both as a chemical feedstock and as an energy carrier. If it is produced from renewable electricity using electrolysis, for example, it can be used as a renewable energy source and also as a feedstock for synthetic fuels. Plants for the production of hydrogen or "green" synthetic fuels make sense and can decarbonize processes, where hydrogen or fuels cannot be replaced by other renewable sources.

  • Direct Air Capture reactor prototype in process evaluation test rig at Fraunhofer ISE.
    © Fraunhofer ISE / Foto: Joscha Feuerstein

    Technologies that capture CO2 and thus permanently remove it from the atmosphere or carbon cycles are summarized under the term "negative emission technologies". Through offsetting and counterbalancing hard-to-abate emissions, they enable complete climate neutrality even if there are otherwise unavoidable residual emissions.

  • QUANTUM-Kältemaschine Gebäude R
    © Fraunhofer ISE

    In addition to process heat supply, the provision of industrial cold is an area with high energy requirements. The use of electrically driven compression refrigeration enables decarbonization through the use of renewable electricity. If suitable (waste) heat sources are available, thermally driven cooling processes can also be an attractive solution. If there is also a heating requirement in your process chains, a heat pump may be able to profitably cover both the heating and cooling requirements.  

System Development and Optimization

Energy-efficient and resource-conserving production facilities are the key to a climate-neutral industry. To this end, we develop systems for industrial applications and optimize existing plants. We rely on innovative technologies to maximize the use of renewable energies and reduce emissions.

Selected Research Projects

 

Joint project: FernWP

District and Process Heat Supply by Heat Pumps As a Substitute for Coal Combustion

 

LuftBlock

Further Development and Testing of a High-Temperature Heat Storage with Innovative Packed-Bed Technology and Air as a Heat Transfer Medium in the Ceramics Industry

 

KETEC

Research Platform Refrigeration and Energy Technology

Contact

Wolfgang Kramer

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Dr. Wolfgang Kramer

Waste heat utilization

Fraunhofer ISE
Heidenhofstr. 2
79110 Freiburg

Phone +49 761 4588-5096

Saskia Kühnhold-Pospischil

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Dr. Saskia Kühnhold-Pospischil

Negative emission technologies

Fraunhofer ISE
Heidenhofstr. 2
79110 Freiburg

Phone +49 152 038 429 01

Thomas Fluri

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Dr. Thomas Fluri

Transformation concepts, high-temperature storage and direct electric heating

Fraunhofer ISE
Heidenhofstr. 2
79110 Freiburg

Phone +49 761 4588-5994

Sebastian Gamisch

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Dr. Sebastian Gamisch

Hot and cold storage

Fraunhofer ISE
Heidenhofstr. 2
79110 Freiburg

Phone +49 761 4588-5468

Anna Heimsath

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Anna Heimsath

PV power plants

Fraunhofer ISE
Heidenhofstr. 2
79110 Freiburg

Phone +49 761 4588-5944

Joachim Koschikowski

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Dr. Joachim Koschikowski

Recyclable materials and treatment of industrial wastewater

Fraunhofer ISE
Heidenhofstr. 2
79110 Freiburg

Phone +49 761 4588-5294

Nils Reiners

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Nils Reiners

Electrical energy storage

Fraunhofer ISE
Heidenhofstr. 2
79110 Freiburg

Phone +49 761 4588-5281

Robert Szolak

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Robert Szolak

Hydrogen and sustainable synthesis products

Fraunhofer ISE
Heidenhofstr. 2
79110 Freiburg

Phone +49 761 4588-5319

Andreas Burger

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Andreas Burger

Heat pumps in industry

Fraunhofer ISE
Heidenhofstr. 2
79110 Freiburg

Phone +49 761 4588-2183