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To ensure energy security and achieve its climate protection goals, Germany will import large quantities of hydrogen in the future. Dimethyl ether (DME) is an environmentally friendly, non-toxic, efficient, and economically attrac-tive gas that shows great promise as an energy source for hydrogen and its derivatives. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has developed a new, particularly energy-efficient synthesis process for its production, which could become a game changer for DME production and thus for the hydrogen economy. In the international “Power-to-MEDME” project, the entire process chain for large-scale production of methanol and DME in Chile was researched on this basis.

The Espirito Santo Research and Innovation State Funding Agency (FAPES), the State Secretariat for Science, Technology, Innovation, and Professional Education of Espírito Santo (SECTI) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. This agreement aims to intensify cooperation in the areas of research and development as well as scientific infrastructure. A comprehensive assessment of Espírito Santo’s current energy system was launched as the first joint research project in February.

The expected addition of around 73 terawatts of new photovoltaic capacity by 2050 will require large quantities of raw materials, including copper and aluminum. Resource requirements and investment costs can be significantly reduced if the voltage level of the PV system is raised to medium voltage. The “PVgoesMV” project aims to demonstrate, through the construction and operation of two pilot plants, that this step is technically feasible and economically viable for large-scale PV plants. These are the world's first PV plants with a 3 kV string inverter. Manufacturers of all key system components for a PV park are supporting the project, which is scheduled to run for three years.

Under the motto “Driving the transition to renewable and carbon-free energy,” the international EuroSun2026 conference will take place in Freiburg from September 14 to 18, 2026. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, together with Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is the local and scientific host of the conference. Contributions to the conference can be submitted until March 1, 2026 (Call for Abstracts).

In 2025, the share of renewables in Germany’s net public electricity generation amounted to 55.9 percent, as in the previous year. Wind power took first place as the strongest net electricity producer, followed by photovoltaics, which increased its production by 21 percent in 2025 and overtook lignite for the first time. The share of electricity generation from fossil fuels stagnated in 2025, with the decline in lignite-based electricity generation being offset by rising natural gas consumption. The share of imports in the electricity mix fell in 2025 compared to the previous year. This analysis is based on the energy-charts.info data platform of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, which provides interactive graphs on electricity generation for the whole of Europe.