Press Release

The sustainable production of chemical base materials using CO2 as a carbon source is the goal of the "PKat4Chem" project. The project partners involved aim at further developing the process of low-temperature plasma catalysis so that gases produced from biomass can be converted into methanol or ethylene in a single-stage process. The Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS is contributing its expertise in analyzing the materials used. The approach promises high efficiency and flexibility.

A new study by Fraunhofer ISI recently published in Nature Energy explores how domestic battery production in Europe can be expanded and how the European continent can become more independent from other parts of the world. The study derives policy recommendations from modelled scenarios how to strengthen the European battery industry.

Laser-driven fusion power plants are considered a key technology on the road to climate neutrality. Highly reflective and thermally stable mirror systems are crucial for these fusion power plants in order to transport the laser light from the beam source to the tiny capsule of fusion fuel. In the new SHARP research project, new types of high-performance mirrors are being developed for this purpose. The project is being funded with 8.4 million euros by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Silicon carbide (SiC) provides considerable technical advantages for power electronics - however, the costs are still a drawback. In the »ThinSiCPower« research project, a consortium of Fraunhofer Institutes is developing key technologies to reduce material losses and device thickness while increasing the thermomechanical stability of the assembled SiC chips. The savings achieved are expected to help further accelerate the market development of efficient SiC power electronics.

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.