Project portraits - Research for the energy transition


High-temperature test stand
© Baker Hughes

Geothermal Energy
Reliable centrifugal submersible pumps for deep geothermal energy

No lime on bearings and seals of submersible pumps that pump hot and calcareous thermal water at a depth of several hundred metres.

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Laser head with optics module
© Fraunhofer IPT - Guido Flüchter

Geothermal energy
Laser beam accelerates geothermal drilling

LaserJetDrilling is the name of a new process in which a laser beam that is guided within a water jet weakens hard rock before it is actually drilled.

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Wind energy nacelle on the test bench
© CWD

Wind power
Test benches and outdoor field trials in comparison

Test benches offer reproducible conditions compared to testing new wind turbines in the open field. But is this data enough for certification alone?

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Zone melting process
© Fraunhofer CSP

Photovoltaics
Efficient solar cells developed from float-zone silicon

Bifacial silicon solar cells achieve an efficiency of 21.6 per cent. New ultra-thin wires cut more wafers from a silicon crystal.

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Screen printing plant
© Fraunhofer ISE – Dirk Mahler

Photovoltaics
New screen printing process for ultra-thin contact fingers for efficient silicon solar cells

A new screen printing process enables the printing of narrow contact fingers on silicon solar cells of less than 20 microns.

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Biogas plant in Baasdorf, Saxony-Anhalt in Germany
© Fraunhofer IKTS – Björn Schwarz

Bioenergy
Biogas plant uses straw and chicken manure

Straw and chicken manure accumulate in large quantities and are suitable for material and energy recovery in biogas plants. 

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Turbine blade
© Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Europe GmbH

Thermal power plants
Storing electricity with liquid air

Compared to pumped storage tanks, liquid air energy storage tanks can be installed wherever they are needed, regardless of the local conditions.

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Combined heat and power generation plant
© MAN Energy Solutions

Thermal power plants
Gas turbines - a building block of the energy transition

New industrial gas turbine with an output of less than 25 megawatts is suitable for use in combined gas and steam turbine plants.

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Decorative picture
© Pixabay - Markus Distelrath

Wind power
Test rigs improve the performance of wind turbines

Test rigs ensure reproducible conditions for certification tests. The manufacturers save time and money.

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