Ongoing Research Project

Hops are grown on a large scale in the Hallertau region: Almost a third of the hops produced worldwide are grown on around 17,200 hectares of Hallertau hop gardens. As a crop that remains in the same location for several years, hops are particularly exposed to climatic influences. Dry periods in July and August sometimes led to significant yield losses: in the particularly affected years of 2013, 2015 and 2018, yields were up to 40 % lower, depending on the hop variety. This is where the "HoPVen" project comes in, in which the world's first agri-PV system in hop growing is being scientifically investigated. The dual use of the land for both agriculture and energy generation through photovoltaics can increase resilience to the consequences of climate change and diversify the income streams of farms. | Duration: 11/2023 - 10/2026

Technical monitoring (TMon) can reduce the energy consumption of buildings by up to 20%. However, a shortage of skilled workers and manual steps are slowing down widespread implementation. In the R&D project ‘GraphEET’, Fraunhofer ISE and Offenburg University of Applied Sciences are working with industry partners to develop a data-based TMon workflow. The aim is to develop hybrid AI methods for the recognition of data points and plant topologies and to map the recognised objects and structures in digital twins as knowledge graphs. This should enable test templates, fault diagnoses and mobile measurement tasks to be applied automatically. | Duration: 07/2025 - 06/2028

High-performance test environments are needed to support the development of powerful, series-ready, high-quality fuel cell stacks. FullStackTS therefore aimed to set up and validate a test environment and develop a non-discriminatory range of tests for the fuel cell industry. At the end of the project, a test bench from MS2 Engineering for fuel cell stacks up to 200 kW with specialised measurement technology from SMART Testsolutions is available at Fraunhofer ISE for contract and collaborative research. | Duration: 01/2022 - 07/2025

The INNOECOFOOD project addresses the Farm2Fork approach to local production and marketing of sustainably produced food in Africa. These goals are promoted through the establishment and operation of so-called ECOHUBS and Living Labs. This involves combining innovative technologies in sustainable aquaculture for the production of fish and spirulina with the use of environmentally friendly practices in the production of insects as feed and protein sources, in combination with local innovation, knowledge transfer and economic empowerment of communities across Africa. | Duration: 01/2024 - 12/2026

How economically viable is solar thermal process heat in Germany? What role do investment grants from the EEW funding program play, and what is the economic viability compared to fossil fuel heat production? These questions were the focus of our study on the decarbonization of industrial heat through solar thermal process heat. Various collector technologies, temperature ranges and locations were evaluated using dynamic simulations and detailed cost models. The results show under which conditions solar thermal energy can already today provide a competitive and climate-friendly alternative to conventional heat generation. | Duration: 07/2024 - 12/2024

This project aims to develop and demonstrate an advantageous and innovative alternative to CHP units: the combustion of gases in a micro gas turbine (mGT) and downstream utilization of the high exhaust gas temperatures in an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). The efficiency can reach that of a CHP unit and offers decisive advantages of the mGT over conventional combustion. These are, above all, very low-pollutant combustion (especially NOx) and high fuel flexibility. A central component and at the same time a challenge in such a combination are high-temperature resistant ceramic heat exchangers and other components, which are being developed in the project. Two system variants are being built and tested in the project. The combination of mGT and ORC on a common drive shaft to form a micro-hybrid turbine (“MiHyT”) with a ceramic coaxial heat exchanger is new. | Duration: 12/2024 - 11/2027

The decarbonization of companies is an important element of the energy transition. Many small and medium-sized enterprises are located in industrial or commercial areas. The muncipal heat planning covering these areas do not always account for the decarbonization strategies and possibilites of these companies. Furthermore, their decarbonization strategies depend heavily on the requirements of individual production processes. Due to the diverse composition of commercial areas, there are currently no standards for developing holistic transformation paths. This is where the Ind-Supply research project comes in. The aim is to develop a planning tool for industrial areas that will support planners and municipalities in complex energy supply decisions, thereby enabling climate- and resource-optimized development. The project is a joint research project between Prognos AG, greenventory GmbH, Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA), and Fraunhofer ISE. | Duration: 10/2024- 09/2027

Einleitung | Duration: 01/2024 - 11/2026

High-temperature heat storage systems can make a significant contribution to the decarbonization of industrial processes. They enable the efficient use of waste heat and at the same time the integration of electrical heating elements to replace fossil fuels. Heat storage systems enable a flexible energy supply for processes by decoupling the use of thermal energy from the generation of energy. This is economically interesting, as waste heat that might otherwise have been lost can be used at a later point in time, thus reducing energy consumption. In addition, a heat storage system allows electricity to be purchased at a time adapted to a variable market price. | Duration: 07/2023 - 06/2026

Currently, more than half of German households are heated by gas and oil boilers. In addition to a dramatic dependence on fossil fuels, this accounts for over 50% of the energy consumption of the entire heating supply. Thanks to their efficiency, electric heat pumps (HPs) are significantly more climate-friendly and, when operated with electricity from renewable energy sources, can make a significant contribution to decarbonizing the heat supply and moving away from fossil fuels. In addition, the use of environmentally friendly refrigerants such as propane (R290) or butane (R600) is increasingly being enforced by law. Due to the high flammability of these refrigerants, permanent, technical tightness is becoming the focus of current heat pump developments. | Duration: 08/2023 - 07/2027