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Drilling tower of a geothermal plant in Bavaria

5 March 2021

Day of the European Surveyor: Information system supports planning of geothermal plants

GeotIS provides companies and research institutions with a reliable database for assessing the feasibility of geothermal plants.

Further News

Rotor blade bearings with a diameter of 3 - 6.5 m for offshore wind turbines are tested at Fraunhofer IWES in the innovative large bearing test stand BEAT6.1.

1 February 2021

Accelerated testing of rotor blade bearings: Successful test series on the BEAT6.1...

The innovative large bearing test stand proves its worth in normal operation.

Das Bild zeigt einen Fluss, der von Bäumen umgeben ist.

26. January 2021

H2-Wyhlen at the start as a real-world laboratory for the energy transition

Green electricity is turned into green hydrogen at the Grenzach-Wyhlen hydroelectric power plant.

Fully automated roll-to-roll laser transfer and firing system at Fraunhofer ISE.

Solar cell contacts produced by laser

The newly developed method is particularly suitable for temperature-sensitive cell concepts.

Wind turbines can provide instantaneous reserves and thus contribute to grid stability.

3 December 2020

Wind turbines can stabilise the power grid

In future, renewable energy plants must contribute to grid stability. Wind turbines are particularly suitable for supporting the power grid and providing instantaneous reserve.

In the SeeOff project, the team of scientists from the University of Bremen is working together with partners from the wind power and waste management industry on cost-efficient and environmentally friendly dismantling strategies.

26 November 2020

Dismantling and recycling of offshore wind farms

Wind turbines at sea must be replaced or dismantled after about 20 to 25 years.

The image shows two scientists from Fraunhofer ISE performing laboratory tests.

16 October 2020

Optimum alignment of heliostats during operation

HelioControl, the calibration and control system for solar tower power plants, determines the target points of heliostats during operation for the first time.

Using a measuring cell specially built for the project inside an aluminium rod, Dr Thomas Pernau measures the brightness of the regeneration furnace, which is closed for this purpose.

Hydrogen makes solar cells more efficient

It inhibits the loss of free charge carriers by blocking chemical complexes and preventing recombination at the surfaces.

The newly developed thermography robot scans the inner cavity of the rotor blade.

9 September 2020

Checking rotor blades from the inside

Damage on the inside of rotor blades can now be detected more easily and comprehensively. A new thermography robot makes this possible.

The interactive e-learning portal can be used regardless of location and at the learner's own pace.

Learning geothermal energy interactively

The Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics LIAG offers an e-learning portal on the website GeotIS - freely accessible to everyone.

Test flight over the Reußenköge wind farm: Thanks to the Parasol passive radar system, the wind turbines here only signal at night when an aircraft is actually approaching.

Wind turbines no longer flash at night

Thanks to the PARASOL passive radar system, there is now an end to the continuous night-time flashing at wind farms.

From war ruin to eco-power plant: The so-called "energy bunker" in Wilhelmsburg is the centrepiece of the real-world laboratory IW³.

Real-world laboratory IW³ starts in Hamburg

The real-world laboratory is used in the Wilhelmsburg district to demonstrate solutions for a climate-friendly heat supply for urban districts.

The multifocus tower (right in the picture) expands the highly sought-after experimental capacities in Jülich.

New DLR solar tower enables parallel tests

With the new multifocus tower, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is expanding its globally unique test plant in Jülich.

In the perovskite laboratory of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB), scientists have been investigating the record-setting tandem solar cell.

New record efficiency for CIGS tandem solar cells

In the research project speedCIGS, the project partners have set a new world record with 24.3 per cent efficiency.

Erecting the already standing measuring masts for the wind energy test field in mountainous terrain.

First wind energy test field in mountainous terrain worldwide approved

Here, researchers can optimise the plant engineering and control system of wind turbines for use in complex terrain.

PTB has developed drones with precision navigation whose eight rotors enable steady-state hover flights.

Determining the impact of wind turbines on flight navigation systems

Researchers are developing a forecasting tool that calculates the impact of wind turbines on aviation navigation aids.

The picture shows rotor blades of a wind turbine against a blue sky.

Worldwide trend: Power from wind becomes cheaper than power from fossil fuels

Since 2010, power generation costs from onshore wind turbines have fallen by 39 per cent and from offshore wind turbines by 29 per cent. This is confirmed by an IRENA study.

The picture shows a test stand for parabolic trough mirrors in the quartz test laboratory of the German Aerospace Center.

Why international standards for solar power plant components are important

Smooth power plant operation requires binding guidelines for the production of mirrors or receivers. These are currently in progress.

Photomontage of the measuring system with wind turbine

Measuring rotor blades from a distance

An innovative measurement concept will in future support the servicing of wind turbines. This will also help to further optimise the plant design.

Employees of NexWafe GmbH examine wafers.

Gigawatt factory planned in Bitterfeld

The company NexWafe wants to enter photovoltaic mass production with its alternative wafer manufacturing process in 2022.

Dismantling a wind turbine at sea

Recycled energy systems

Wind turbines and photovoltaic modules have a limited lifetime. A number of projects are looking at how the components can be recycled.

Wind turbine

27 February 2020

Fraunhofer IWES develops the world's largest network simulator

The new test rig enables science teams to test how powerful wind turbines can optimally supply power to the grid.

HZB's record-breaking cell with an efficiency of 29.15 per cent.

14 February 2020

Perovskite silicon tandem solar cell reaches new record

The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin has developed a solar cell with an efficiency of 29.15 per cent from the materials perovskite and silicon.

Novel battery inverters by SMA Solar Technology

7 February 2020

New battery inverter successfully in use

The inverters developed by SMA Solar Technology in the PV Diesel funding project are used around the world for power storage projects.

On display is a large metal boiler with indicators and metal pipes leading to and from it.

18 December 2019

Flue gas as a source for synthetic fuel

Research between cooling towers: A plant is being built in Niederaußem that utilises captured carbon dioxide to produce synthetic fuels.

A look behind the scenes at the new test centre for micro gas turbines

4 December 2019

Germany's first test centre for micro gas turbines inaugurated

Small, but fine, because of low-emission: micro gas turbines can provide electricity and heat decentrally in industrial plants or private households.

Ein Kameramann filmt einen der Protagonisten des Films „Energy for Tomorrow – Innovative Geothermal Technology“ vor einer Versuchsanlage.

2 December 2019

Film shows latest geothermal energy technologies

With “Energy for Tomorrow – Innovative Geothermal Technology”, the International Energy Agency (IEA) is providing an insight into current research projects.

Triple-junction solar cells made of III-V semiconductors and silicon have the potential to raise photovoltaics to a new level of efficiency.

New record for multi-layer solar cells

With an efficiency of 34.1 per cent, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have broken the current world record.

The Jülich solar tower belonging to the German Aerospace Centre.

10 years of research at the Jülich solar tower

In contrast to commercially operated solar thermal power plants, electricity production at the Jülich solar tower is not the central concern.

View of a Francis turbine for hydroelectric power plants

Stable grids thanks to hydropower

The demand for flexible hydropower to stabilise electricity grids is growing worldwide.

With its 300 built-in sensors, the FVA nacelle at the Centre for Wind Power Drives (CWD) at RWTH Aachen University is used in numerous research projects.

Together on one (drive) train

A “transparent” wind turbine nacelle with around 300 built-in sensors formed the focus of the FVA Nacelle research project conducted by scientists at RWTH Aachen University. Together with industry representatives from the Drive Technology Research...

The highly innovative large-diameter bearing test rig for offshore wind turbines.

New large-diameter bearing test rig: Simulating 20 years in 6 months

The Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems has successfully commissioned a test rig for rotor blade bearings with up to 6.5-metre diameters in Hamburg. The large-scale test rig will be used to develop new methods for designing and configuring...

A section of the new model wave channel in operation. A model wave channel has been inaugurated at the Coast Research Centre (FZK), a joint central facility belonging to Leibniz Universität Hannover and the Technische Universität Braunschweig.

25 February 2019

Perfect waves inland

On 19 February 2019, a model wave channel was inaugurated at the Coast Research Centre in Hanover. The wave channel at a scale of 1:10 is a model of the Large Wave Channel (GWK) in its future expansion stage. Scientists can already investigate the...

The lifting carriage of the mobile workover rig of the EBIMA project is used to move the feed pipes one by one into the borehole.

20 February 2019

Mobile workover rig presented as a trade fair innovation

Permits for the transport of the plant had to be obtained from various administrative districts and local authorities right up to the end - but then it was all set: The mobile workover rig by MAX STREICHER was able to commence its journey from Munich...

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