Press Releases 2023

Green hydrogen and its derivatives – ammonia, methanol, and synthetic kerosene – store energy from the sun and wind in order to transfer it efficiently from distant regions to Europe. At the same time, many industries that cannot use electricity directly as an energy source will be dependent on these climate-neutral alternatives to fossil gas and oil in the future. On behalf of the H2Global Foundation, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has examined 39 regions in 12 countries preselected by H2Global to determine where the production of such Power-to-X (PtX) products, in conjunction with transport to Germany, would be most cost-effective by 2030. The result: Brazil, Colombia, and Australia offer particularly good conditions for the import of green ammonia, methanol, and kerosene. Imports of gaseous green hydrogen could come from southern Europe or North Africa, provided that pipelines are available in time for transport.

In recent years, some car manufacturers have already presented the first vehicle models with photovoltaics integrated into the roof. The roof is the easiest surface to use for on-board solar power generation. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have now gone one step further. As part of two publicly funded research projects, they have integrated solar cells into the standard sheet metal hood of a regular passenger car. Coupled with the research institute’s MorphoColor® technology, the solar-active surface can be color-matched to that of the vehicle. Visitors to IAA MOBILITY can have a closer look at the photovoltaic hood from September 5-11, 2023, at the Fraunhofer booth (Hall B1.D11) in Munich.

Today the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE presented the data on net public electricity generation for the first half of 2023 from the Energy-Charts data platform. Renewable generation, with a share of 57.7 percent of the net electricity generation for public power supply, that is, the electricity mix that comes out of the socket, was significantly higher than the first half of 2022 (51.8 percent). The share of renewable energies in electricity consumption was 55.5 percent. With the first six months of 2023, solar and wind power plants fed a total of 97 terawatt-hours (TWh) into the public grid, compared to 99 TWh in the first half of 2022. The electricity production from lignite was down 21 percent, hard coal was down 23 percent, natural gas was down 4 percent, and nuclear declined by 57 percent, compared to 2022 values.

Heat pumps are a key technology in the heat transition, but many of the devices still use environmentally harmful refrigerants. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has now developed a functional model of a refrigeration circuit using propane, a climate-friendly and cost-effective refrigerant alternative. One of the best results was a brine heat pump, achieving a heating capacity of 11.4 kilowatts with only 146 grams of propane. At this low refrigerant charge, it is permitted to install the unit inside buildings without undergoing extensive safety precautions. Per kilowatt of heat output, the unit requires only about one-fifth the amount of propane compared to the systems on the market. The new development is the result of a collaboration between Fraunhofer ISE and an industrial consortium within the "LC150" (Low Charge 150 g) project, which has just ended and was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. A related, recently started project called "LCR290" (Low Charge R290) will focus on the development of low-charge propane, or R290, heat pumps for multi-family houses.

To pave the way for the industrial implementation of highly efficient perovskite-silicon PV modules, the tandem solar cells and modules must be reliably measured. Only then is it possible to make objective comparisons between different cells and modules and to make technological improvements. In contrast to conventional silicon PV modules, however, the calibration is considerably more challenging. A project consortium led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE is therefore developing methods for characterizing perovskite-based tandem modules in the "Katana" project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate BMWK. The solar simulator specially built for this purpose by the company Wavelabs Solar Metrology Systems GmbH is now in use in the CalLab PV Modules of the research institute.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has developed a unique modular test stand for photovoltaic inverters with integrated arc fault detection. These integrated warning systems in inverters increase the safety of solar installations by initiating an automatic shut down in the event of arcing. With the newly published international standard IEC 63027, more reliable and realistic tests can be carried out on detectors. Fraunhofer ISE was involved in the development of the new test standard, which was published on May 3 2023.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, together with project partners, have developed a technical concept and design for a hydrogen production facility optimized for use at sea. Results have shown that it is technically and economically feasible to produce hydrogen directly at sea using a PEM electrolyzer. The work was carried out as part of the two-year »OffsH2ore« project funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

Rigorous tests on photovoltaic (PV) modules, integrated PV systems, solar thermal collectors, inverters and other solar technologies are carried out, for the most part, in an indoor laboratory environment. Accompanying these are the long-term tests under real weather conditions lasting several years. Now researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE want to use the newly constructed, three-hectare test field near Freiburg, Germany, to combine the results from both test approaches. In particular, PV modules will be able to be evaluated faster and more accurately, by combining and comparing indoor laboratory measurement results with those from the test field. Today, Fraunhofer ISE ceremoniously opened its new outdoor testing facilities in Merdingen.

Prof. Dr. Andreas Bett, director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and professor of physics at the University of Freiburg, and Dr. Frank Dimroth, department head of III-V and Concentrator Photovoltaics at Fraunhofer ISE receive the research award of the Werner Siemens Foundation (WSS), endowed with one million Swiss francs. The award is based on their scientific work with III-V semiconductor compounds in the field of highly efficient photovoltaics. They, together with five other teams, are finalists in the competition for the foundation's "Project of the Century".

Colored building-integrated photovoltaic (PV) modules that replace roof or façade elements can be an attractive alternative to the traditional blue-black solar PV installations. Until recently, colored modules came with considerable efficiency losses. Now, there is a solution available in the PV market: colored PV modules that deliver at least 90 percent of the electricity yield of an ordinary module. Megasol Energie AG, a module producer from Switzerland, holds a license for the MorphoColor® technology which was developed and patented by Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. Visitors at the BAU in Munich can view green and blue PV modules with the MorphoColor® technology at the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance booth, and gold, silver and bronze-colored PV modules at the booth of Megasol Energie AG, from 17 to 22 April 2023.