Press Releases

Can Germany meet its electricity demand with renewables? How much electricity is imported from nuclear and coal-fired power plants? Will a solar eclipse lead to a blackout? Ten years ago, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE launched the "Energy Charts" data platform to objectify the debate on the energy transition. Today, the website offers detailed interactive data not only on electricity generation, climate data, emissions and exchange prices for Germany but also on the electricity generation for 42 Eu-ropean countries and the European electricity exchange. This makes it one of the most comprehensive data platforms on the European energy market today.

At 140 terawatt hours, more renewable electricity was generated in Germany in the first half of 2024 than ever before, accounting for 65% of net public electricity generation. Generation from fossil fuels continues to decline as do the electricity prices on the exchange. These are the findings of the half-year data on net public electricity generation presented today by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. The analysis is based on the data platform energy-charts.info.

Enormous quantities of raw materials are required for the conversion of the energy system, for example, in the form of copper and aluminum cables to connect renewable generators to the grid. One promising approach to save raw materials is to move from the low to the medium-voltage level in renewable energy power plants. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE sees a huge potential for savings with higher system voltages, especially in large PV power plants. The institute is planning first pilot power plants with this technology and is aiming for a broad market launch together with industry. To kick-off its new research topic "Medium Voltage – A Resource-Efficient Way to Interconnect", Fraunhofer ISE will be presenting the world's first medium-voltage PV string inverter and a medium-voltage battery inverter at the Smarter E trade fair in Munich (June 19-21).

The year 2024 is characterised by a substantial reduction in federal funding for project research. Energy research is particularly affected by this. A 30% reduction in available funding for new projects is looming, compared to the previous year. Against this backdrop, the Fraunhofer-Group »Energy Technologies and Climate Protection« is warning of a massive decline in German industry's ability to innovate in technologies for the energy transition. Nine institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft are organised in the group, which play a key role in driving forward application-oriented energy research.

The energy transition in Germany, Europe, and across the world is driving robust demand for solar panels. Alongside high energy yields, aesthetics and acceptance are also increasingly important factors. To accommodate these trends, a team of researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has developed an innovative solar facade element that can be incorporated into a building’s exterior practically invisibly and without any significant loss of efficiency. With the development of MorphoColor® coating technology, the experts have made an important contribution to the expansion of integrated photovoltaic systems in Germany. For this groundbreaking project, they will be presented with the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize for 2024.

Heat pumps can not only be used efficiently in residential buildings, but also in industrial processes with heating and cooling requirements. This conclusion was reached by a team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE as part of the joint project "ETA in Existing Facilities“. The application of a heat pump with propane refrigeration circuit in an industrial cleaning machine led to considerable savings in electricity and CO2.

On April 15, 2023, the era of nuclear power in Germany came to an end with the shutdown of the last three nuclear power plants in Emsland, Neckarwestheim and Isar. On the first anniversary of the phase-out, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE takes stock: Nuclear power has been replaced by in-creased generation from renewable energy sources. Electricity generation from fossil fuels decreased and was offset by increased electricity savings, self-consumption from own photovoltaic systems, a reduced load and imports. Electricity prices fell to the level of 2021. The analysis is based on the data platform energy-charts.info

No clean water, no functioning electricity grid, no primary healthcare - a scenario that is not uncommon in remote areas of the sub-Saharan region. The founding of “S Mile Solutions (Pty) Ltd”, a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, is seeking to change this. The start-up, based in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa, provides smart, small-scale and off-grid infrastructure solutions that are mounted on commercially available pick-up trucks, thereby enabling companies and institutions to access rural and remote communities with their services and products.

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg today. At Europe's largest solar research institute, he informed himself about new technologies for energy-efficient buildings and climate-neutral housing. Scientists from Fraunhofer ISE explained the latest research findings on heat pumps, integrated photovoltaics for building façades and vehicles, and charging infrastructures for electric vehicles. The German Chancellor was accompanied by Baden-Württemberg's Minister for Regional Development and Housing Nicole Razavi and Freiburg's Lord Mayor Martin Horn.

Today there exists a wide range of solar cells, connection technologies, encapsulation materials and processes from which solar photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturers can choose. At the same time, manufacturers are faced with the challenge of bringing the most highly efficient, durable and recyclable PV modules onto the market. Also customized modules for integrated applications are in demand. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE develops and tests new product ideas for manufacturers. Thus, companies can test new module concepts, without having to purchase the necessary equipment and materials themselves. Today, the institute opened its newly organized and expanded technology evaluation center Module-TEC with an area of 1,000 square meters. In this development and production environment, PV modules prototypes can be manufactured in small batches and tested on industrial systems.