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An increasing number of consumers and investors seek heating systems that are both sustainable and economical. Up to now, an international data and evaluation basis across all heating technologies has not been available, thus prohibiting a valid ecological and economic assessment of the available technologies. Such information is essential for manufacturers to carry out sustainable product development and also for selecting the optimal combination of different heating technologies. The international working group "Task 71- Life Cycle and Cost Assessment for Heating and Cooling Technologies" within the “Solar Heating and Cooling” program of the International Energy Agency now intends to close this gap by not only providing a methodology for comparison as well as uniform data formats but also by presenting reference heating systems and scenarios for different countries worldwide.

In the presence of the German Federal Minister of Education and Research, Bettina Stark-Watzinger, a delegation from Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and the Port of Rotterdam Authority jointly signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) on site in Rotterdam to start a research collaboration on hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives. This new collaboration complements the Port of Rotterdam's cooperation with its partners in Australia. With this tri-national cooperation, all partners will work together to create the conditions for a hydrogen supply chain between Western Australia and Germany via the port of Rotterdam.

Vehicle-integrated photovoltaics (VIPV) is an elegant way to harvest solar power independent of the grid and to simultaneously reduce CO2 emissions, especially for electric vehicles. In the Lade-PV research project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE worked with industrial partners to develop a high-voltage photovoltaic (PV) system and integrate it into the roof of an electric truck. The Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems IVI created a digital twin to carry out comprehensive energy forecasts of the PV-integrated truck. After 12 months in operation for the logistics company Alexander Bürkle GmbH, it is now clear that the 18-ton truck and its 3.2 kilowatt-peak photovoltaic system have passed the practical test.

Emmvee Group, a global manufacturer and supplier of PV modules based in India, has signed a contact with the Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy Systems ISE, the largest solar research institute in Europe. The contract appoints Fraunhofer ISE as Emmvee’s solar technology partner for its upcoming solar cell manufacturing facility near Bangalore. The collaboration aims to set up a 1.50 gigawatt monocrystalline PERC solar cell production facility with an upgrade to TOPCon solar cells down the line.

Dr. Yam Siwakoti from the University of Technology Sydney is currently staying at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE as award winner of the Fraunhofer-Bessel Research Award from the Humboldt Foundation. He will spend 6 months as a visiting researcher at the institute, working on power electronics together with Fraunhofer researchers.

The battery charging infrastructure for electric heavy-duty and passenger vehicles plays a decisive role in a successful transition towards climate-friendly transport. As the required charging powers increase, so do the battery and charging voltages. The joint project "HV-MELA-BAT", coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, aims to develop both the necessary power electronic converters and a contact system for high currents and voltages. A buffer storage is to ensure full charging power even at grid connection points with power limitations. The project partners are Motion Control & Power Electronics GmbH, STS Spezial-Transformatoren Stockach GmbH, Mercedes-Benz Energy GmbH and the Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems IVI.

The project “Dispatchable concentrated Solar-to-X energy solution for high penetration of renewable energy (SOLARX)" ,funded by the Horizon Europe program, was launched on November 1, 2022. The main objective of the 3-year project with a total budget of 3 million euros is to demonstrate at laboratory scale the technical, economic and social relevance of the efficient synergic production of heat, electricity and hydrogen from the solar resource in a single facility. The consortium is composed of companies, technological centers, industrial partners and universities: HyGear (Netherlands), Acciona Industrial (Spain), EMD International (Denmark), Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE (Germany), Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (Denmark), Laboratoire Nanotechnologies et Nanosystèmes de la Université de Sherbrooke (CNRS, France/Canada) and accelopment Schweiz AG (Switzerland).

Sixty photovoltaic (PV) solar modules with a green MorphoColor® structural layer have recently been added to the façade of the Center for Highly Efficient Solar Cells at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg. The pilot project for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) will supply the research institute with approximately 11 megawatt hours of solar electricity per year. The MorphoColor® technology developed by the research institute makes it possible to color the glass of the PV modules, while maintaining at least 90 percent of the module efficiency. The integrated photovoltaic system can either set colored accents on the building façade, as in this example, or visually blend into the building, for example, as brick red-colored PV modules on the roof.

Today the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced the winner of the German Future Prize 2022 at a festive ceremony in Berlin. The nominated team made up of Thomas Speidel, CEO of the listed ADS-TEC Energy plc (NASDAQ: ADSE) and managing partner of the ADS-TEC Group, Dr. Thorsten Ochs, Chief Technology Officer of ADS-TEC Energy, and Dr. Stefan Reichert, group leader of Power Converters at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, was among the top three finalists. The team was nominated for the development of a storage-based ultra-fast charging system, called “ChargeBox”. This year’s winner of the German Future Prize was Zeiss Microscopy GmbH with their 3D microscope to study living cells.

The Energy and Environment Foundation (EEF), India, organized the “World Hydrogen Energy Summit 2022“ from October 16 to 17, 2022. Coinciding with the conference, the annual “EEF Global Excellence Awards“ is being presented to outstanding and distinguished energy personalities. Prof. Christopher Hebling, Director of the Business Division Hydrogen Technologies Fraunhofer ISE, has received the award in the category “Hydrogen Sector“.