Research Projects from the Annual Report

The agricultural sector is facing new challenges. In the wake of climate change, strategies must be developed to avoid negative impacts on harvests. Orcharding in Germany is already affected by the consequences of climate change: rising temperatures, changes in precipitation distribution and increasingly frequent extreme weather events such as hail and heavy rain. As a result, commercial fruit growers are increasingly using hail protection nets and foil roofing to prevent quality and yield losses. The project "APV-Obstbau" (Agrivoltaic Orcharding) will investigate to what extent agrivoltaics can replace these protective measures in apple cultivation, which system design makes sense for this crop and in which way the agrivoltaic system affects crop yields. | Duration: 04/2020 - 03/2025

As the appreciable growth in charging infrastructure for electric vehicles can lead to local supply shortages in the distribution grids, particularly fast charging stations are increasingly being equipped with local storage buffers. In a solar carport with integrated buffer storage and fast charging infrastructure, the DC electricity generated by the PV system can be inverted and rectified up to four times on its route from the PV module via the buffer storage unit to the DC charging point, generating unnecessary conversion losses. | Duration: 01/2017 - 12/2022

The "BetterBat" project addresses the interface between battery technology and its potential use in an application. "BetterBat" thus explicitly focuses on the user side and its systemic application-specific requirements, enabling target-oriented research and development, shortening the time-to-market accordingly and reducing the risk of failing to meet market requirements. "BetterBat" is intended to provide answers to the following questions, for example: For which applications can battery-electric solutions be considered today or in the future? Which battery technology is suitable for which application? What are the strengths and weaknesses and where might further research or funding be required? The work packages required to answer these questions are shown schematically in the figure below. | Duration: 03/2021 - 02/2024

In all-solid-state batteries the liquid electrolyte is replaced by a solid non-combustible ion conductor. This prevents thermal runaway and significantly increases the safety of battery cells. It also facilitates the use of lithium metal anodes, which makes higher energy densities and thus significantly higher ranges for electric vehicles possible. | Duration: 10/2019 - 09/2022

Project in the Business Area: Hydrogen Technologies and Electrical Energy Storage; Topic: Battery Cell Technology; Duration: 01/2022 - 12/2024

In this project, we are developing cooperative software energy agents for several distributed controllable systems (heat pumps, electric cars, battery storage), which communicate with each other and act according to defined rules of trade with high temporal resolution. In doing so, agents pursue the individual goals of their respective users, while also keeping an eye on the neighborhood as an overall system. A specific goal in the sub-project is the allocation and accounting of energy quantities using block chain technology. It provides the end user with a transparent overview of their current green electricity share and creates incentives for load shifting. | Duration: 10/2017 - 09/2022

Project in the Business area: Power Electronics, Grids and Smart Systems, Accredited Laboratories, Topic: Power Converter Systems, TestLab Power Electronics, Duration: 03/2020 - 02/2023

Project in Business Area: Power Electronics, Grids and Smart Systems; Topic: Power electronics and Grid Integration; Duration: 04/2020 - 09/2023

Project in the Business Areas: Photovoltaics, Hydrogen Technologies and Electrical Energy Storage Topics: Photovoltaic Modules and Power Plants, Applied Storage Systems Fields of Work: PV for Mobility, Module Technology, Duration: 07/2019 - 06/2022

Project in the Business Area: Solar Thermal Power Plants and Industrial Processes Topic: Solar Thermal Power Plants Duration: 04/2022 - 03/2025