Recent Research Projects

Project in the Business Area: Energy Efficient Buildings; Topic: Heat Pumps; Duration: 06/2023 - 05/2026

Floating photovoltaics (FPV) refers to PV power plants whose modules are mounted on floating bodies on a body of water. The concept enables the expansion of renewable energies on artificial lakes without occupying scarce land areas. Flooded former opencast lignite mines alone offer a technical potential of about 26 GWP of installed capacity, assuming an occupancy of 0.6 MW/ha. In »PV2FLOAT«, an interdisciplinary team is investigating the opportunities and challenges of floating PV in order to create the technical, ecological and socio-economic conditions for tapping this potential. The project is dedicated to the further development of floating PV power plants with a view to cost reduction, integration into spatial planning and sustainable implementation on a megawatt scale. The economic viability and ecological impact as well as the potential and acceptance of the technology are analyzed with a focus on the conditions in Germany. The development and installation of several FPV systems with different system designs and each with an output of approx. 30 kWp on an open-cast mining lake in Lusatia form the basis for holistic concepts in terms of practicality, economic viability, environmental compatibility and social acceptance. | Duration: 05/2021 - 12/2025

Up to now, the decision to buy solar modules has mainly been driven by price. Evaluation criteria such as recyclability, CO2 emissions during production or the avoidance of environmentally harmful substances play a subordinate role in the purchasing decision. For this reason, an ecodesign regulation with an associated energy label for solar modules is being prepared at EU level and is due to come into force in 2024. The aim is to provide customers with information on the sustainability of solar modules. In addition, solar modules that exceed certain limits are to be that exceed certain limit values. | Duration: 06/2023 - 05/2026

Up to now, the decision to buy solar modules has mainly been driven by price. Evaluation criteria such as recyclability, CO2 emissions during production or the avoidance of environmentally harmful substances play a subordinate role in the purchasing decision. For this reason, an ecodesign regulation with an associated energy label for solar modules is being prepared at EU level and is due to come into force in 2024. The aim is to provide customers with information on the sustainability of solar modules. In addition, solar modules that exceed certain limits are to be that exceed certain limit values. | Duration: 06/2023 - 05/2026

Project in the Business Area Energy Efficient Buildings, Topic: Heat Pumps, Building Systems Technology, Duration: 04/2021 - 03/2026

Project in the Business Area: Hydrogen Technologies and Electrical Energy Storage, Topic: Electrolysis and Power-to-Gas, Duration: 01/2021 - 12/2024

In the early production phase of battery cells, the reject rate is particularly high, as conventional end-of-line tests primarily record the overall condition and can overlook minor defects. In the “Quaze” project, we are working with Precitec to develop a non-destructive measurement method that records the spatial expansion of pouch cells during charging and discharging cycles and uses this data to reconstruct a meaningful expansion field. In this way, the “good” expansion behavior that indicates defect-free cells is to be determined. AI evaluates the measurement data, detects deviations from the “good” reference pattern, and provides indications of faulty process steps. This accelerates corrective measures, reduces scrap and costs, and improves the overall environmental balance of cell production. | Duration: 04/2023 - 09/2026

Project in the Business Area Energy-Efficient Buildings; Topics: Building Operation Management, Heat Pump, Duration: 03/2021 - 04/2025

In the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) trade, consultation, stocktaking, planning and preparation of offers are very time-consuming processes, especially when upgrading existing systems. Each system must be individually configured and adapted to the technical conditions of the building and the habits of the users. This is especially true for complex and sustainable systems, such as heat pumps, fuel cells and solar-assisted hybrid systems. | Duration: 09/2021 - 08/2024

Heat pumps are an effective solution for reducing energy consumption and the environmental impact of buildings, and for introducing renewable energy into the heat supply. However, the actual efficiency of heat pumps in practice does not always meet expectations. In addition to high occurring heat losses, the energy efficiency is reduced by an inappropriate system design, by misparameterization of the heat pump control and by undetected operating deficits. Therefore, the subject of the "AI4HP" project is the development of a new generation of "intelligent heat pumps", which adaptively adjust to changing boundary conditions with the help of artificial neural networks and thus increase energy efficiency while maintaining user comfort. | Duration: 09/2021 - 08/2024