Researchers have developed a solar-powered technology that converts carbon dioxide and water into liquid fuels that can be added directly to a car’s engine as drop-in fuel. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, harnessed the power of photosynthesis to convert CO2, water and sunlight into multicarbon fuels – ethanol and propanol – in a single step. These fuels have a high energy density and can be easily stored or transported. Unlike fossil fuels, these solar fuels produce net…
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…
In cooperation with SURAGUS GmbH, the Fraunhofer FEP has succeeded in realizing non-contact in-situ measurements under high vacuum conditions at temperatures of up to 220°C within the HotSense project (grant number 100547507/4102) funded by the Saxon State Ministry of Economics, Labor and Transport (SMWA). Thus, measurements of the sheet resistance or -conductivity, or the metal layer thickness can be carried out in close proximity to the process directly after hot layer deposition or layer modification processes by means of non-contact…
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 re-searchers 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…
What is the optimal role of limited biomass in the national energy transition and what are the priority target markets for bioenergy sources? These questions were addressed by a team of researchers from the German Biomass Research Centre (DBFZ) and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in the successfully completed research project “SoBio – Scenarios of optimal biomass use for energy by 2030 and by 2050”. Bioenergy makes a significant contribution to meeting the energy needs of the transport,…
Research project in Germany aims to improve the stability of this novel battery type. Lithium-air batteries, also known as lithium-oxygen batteries, are candidates for the next generation of high-energy electricity storage devices. Their theoretical energy storage capacity is ten times that of conventional lithium-ion batteries of the same weight, but they are not yet chemically stable enough to provide a reliable solution. Now a newly launched collaborative research project in which a team from the University of Oldenburg, Germany, led…
An electric snowmobile at LASER World of PHOTONICS 2023 in the summer! Why? Trade show visitors have the Finnish startup Aurora Powertrains Oy from Rovaniemi to thank for this premiere of the Arctic kind. Aurora has developed cold-resistant batteries with extremely high energy density for the Arctic temperatures of this region, and the customized joining technology required for this comes from the laser welding experts at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen. Probably one of the smallest…
“Wind.EnergyAutonomous Schools in the Metropolitan Region Northwest ” – this is the name of a new research project led by Dr. Yilmaz Uygun, Professor at Constructor University in Bremen. The project runs in collaboration with the County of Friesland (Germany) and ist funded by the Metropolitan Region Northwest. The aim is to further develop and validate a proprietary vertical-axis wind turbine that will be produced by using the world’s largest industrial delta-type 3D printer. The turbines are intended to serve…
After decades of effort, scientists have finally seen the process by which nature creates the oxygen we breathe using SLAC’s X-ray laser. Photosynthesis plays a crucial role in shaping and sustaining life on Earth, yet many aspects of the process remain a mystery. One such mystery is how Photosystem II, a protein complex in plants, algae and cyanobacteria, harvests energy from sunlight and uses it to split water, producing the oxygen we breathe. Now researchers from the Department of Energy’s…
An increasing number of people are riding electric bikes. Compared to cars, electric bikes are cheaper, more environmentally friendly and free up space in urban areas. The drawback is that there are often no spare parts for defective components such as motors or batteries, meaning they have to be completely replaced with expensive new components. A team of researchers from the Fraunhofer IPA demonstrated that electric bike motors can be remanufactured in keeping with the concept of a modern circular…
Electrical current modulation in wood electrochemical transistor. Researchers at Linköping University and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology have developed the world’s first transistor made of wood. Their study, published in the journal PNAS, paves the way for further development of wood-based electronics and control of electronic plants. Transistors, invented almost one hundred years ago, are considered by some to be an invention just as important to humanity as the telephone, the light bulb or the bicycle. Today, they are…
Developing pioneering technology solutions and bringing them into application – that is the goal of Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS. At this year’s SENSOR+TEST trade fair in Nuremberg, the institute will present its latest developments in optical, chemical and ultrasonic sensor technology. Due to the high demand for sensors in a wide variety of application fields, there are very different requirements for their functionality and performance profile. The core objective of the research work of Fraunhofer IPMS is therefore…
BMBF Project “MaSSiF” Explores Innovative Battery Concept. A new generation of lithium-sulfur batteries is the focus of the research project “MaSSiF – Material Innovations for Solid-State Sulfur-Silicon Batteries”. The project team dedicates itself to the design, construction and evaluation of lightweight and low-cost sulfur-based prototype cells with high storage capacities. Thanks to high storage capacities and low material costs, the sulfur-based concept potentially enables the construction of very lightweight and cost-effective batteries. Applying silicon as the anode material is also…
… to advance perovskite solar cell manufacturing and commercialization. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are considered a promising candidate for next-generation photovoltaic technology with high efficiency and low production cost, potentially revolutionizing the renewable energy industry. However, the existing layer-by-layer manufacturing process presents challenges that have hindered the commercialisation of this technology. Recently, researchers from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the US jointly developed an innovative one-step solution-coating approach that simplifies the…
In a project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have developed poly(styrenesulfonic acid)-based PEMs with a high density of sulfonic acid groups. One of the key components of environmentally friendly polymer electrolyte fuel cells is a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM). It generates electrical energy through a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen gases. Examples of practical fuel cells include fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) and fuel cell combined heat and power…
CSU chemists are proposing to make solar cells using not silicon, but an abundantly available natural material called molybdenum disulfide. Solar power technologies, which use solar cells to convert sunlight to electricity or storable fuels, are gaining momentum in a world looking beyond fossil fuels for its energy needs. The dark bluish solar panels that dot rooftops and open fields today are typically made from silicon, a well-tested semiconductor material. Silicon photovoltaic technology has its limitations, though, losing up to…
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