Press Release

Quality assurance is a key enabler for modern microelectronics which is only possible if powerful techniques for screening, fault isolation and failure diagnostics are available. Machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) can strongly support these tasks, however versatile applicable data infrastructures and evaluation algorithms are still not readily available. In the "FA2IR" project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS in Halle (Saale) is working with partners on solutions to develop and incorporate sophisticated digital tools for paving the digital path for fault analysis. Automated, AI-supported analysis is intended to minimize result-subjectivity, shorten development times and to improve product quality.

Inverters in photovoltaic systems and wind turbines are indispensable technological components of the energy transition. However, due to the combination of climatic, thermal and electrical loads, they are among the most frequently failing system components. In the recently completed project "Reliable converters for renewable energy supply (power4re)", five institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, including the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS, have developed significantly improved solutions. They have gained new insights into weak points, damage patterns, influencing factors and failure mechanisms and developed improved test methods to increase robustness and reliability.

How accurate are wind measurements from dual-Doppler scanning lidar systems? And what is their potential for offshore wind energy? Fraunhofer IWES is investigating these questions together with Oldbaum Services Ltd and TotalEnergies through two concurrent measurement campaigns in Great Britain and Japan. With dual-Doppler scanning lidar technology, two measuring devices are operated synchronously at different onshore locations. They are aligned in such a way that the laser beams cross at a point up to 10 kilometers off the coast – at a typical wind turbine hub height – returning, potentially, highly accurate information on wind conditions. To prove this, two measurement campaigns started to compare these data to offshore met mast measurements in order to evaluate the technology´s performance. As well as wind speed accuracy, the comparison of the measurement methods could even reveal advantages in the area of turbulence measurement.

In the “HYPAT – H2 POTENTIAL ATLAS”, which was led by Fraunhofer ISI, nine research institutions have examined the future role green hydrogen can play in transforming industry, the transport sector and the energy industry in the direction of greater sustainability and climate neutrality. The project identified possible partner countries for Germany that have the potential to deliver a secure and sustainable supply of hydrogen, determined the global supply and demand for hydrogen and its synthesis products, and developed ideas for possible import, funding and cooperation strategies. The final report has now been published.

In order for future laser fusion power plants to work efficiently and reliably, current laser technologies must be adapted to the extreme requirements of high power and continuous operation. In the new "nanoAR" research project, nine project partners from industry and research are working on methods for structural antireflection solutions and reducing sub-surface damage of the optical components used. Their approaches could also be transferred to other fields of application for high-power optics.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology IEE in Kassel has a new leader: Prof. Dr. Martin Braun is taking over as the new director of the research institute on November 1, 2024. He is also a professor for sustainable electrical energy systems at the University of Kassel.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology IEE has developed an underwater energy storage system that transfers the principle of pumped storage power plants to the seabed. After a successful field test with a smaller model in Lake Constance, the researchers are now preparing a test run off the Californian coast with partners: In the "StEnSea" project, they will anchor a hollow, 400-ton concrete sphere with a diameter of nine meters at a depth of 500 to 600 meters. By emptying the sphere, the storage is charged. When water flows in, electricity is generated – it is discharged. The power of this prototype is 0.5 megawatts, the capacity 0.4 megawatt-hours.

Inverters are crucial for modern energy systems. Despite the high level of quality that has been achieved for these complex components in recent years, device failures can also occur here. The causes of defects and failure processes are not yet sufficiently well understood. In the “Reliability Design” project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS has supported the development of more precise methods for lifetime predictions. This can also reduce the costs of electricity production.

Green hydrogen, produced by means of water electrolysis using renewable energies, is considered a key element for a successful energy transition. In her doctoral thesis, Dr. Franziska Hönig focuses on the potential of oxygen, which is also produced during electrolysis, in particular for the economic efficiency of decentralized energy systems. Her doctorate is based on the results of the "LocalHy" project, which was carried out at the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP, and was supervised by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and ITEL - Deutsches Lithiuminstitut GmbH. The dissertation was awarded the Innovation Award of the German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (DWV) today.

Fraunhofer IWES, together with its partner companies Tetra Tech RPS Energy Limited and Geowynd Limited, was commissioned by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) to further develop the 565 km² Doordewind Wind Farm Zone (DDWWFZ). The contract, lasting ap-proximately two years includes the planning of upcoming offshore geotechnical site investigations in DDWWFZ, the development of a fully Integrated Ground model (IGM) for the entire Investigation Area and the preparation of a comprehensive Geotechnical Interpretative Report (GIR). The aim of the project is to prepare, interpret and integrate marine exploration data in order to enable potential investors to assess the cable, layout and foundation conditions within the DDWWFZ and assist their preparation and submission of bids within the Wind Farm Zone.