Press | Infothek

Battery storage systems age faster if they have to repeatedly provide high power for short periods. This can be prevented by coupling them with supercapacitors to take over the peak loads. As part of the “SuKoBa” research project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), Fraunhofer IEE develops tools for designing hybrid supercapacitor/battery storage systems together with its industrial partner AVL and the network coordinator Skeleton Technologies. Furthermore, the partners develop methods for managing and controlling the hybrid systems. Hybrid storage technologies of this type can be used in electric vehicles and in stationary storage units for grid stabilization.

When conventional power plants are shut down, the inertia of the synchronous generators stabilizing the power grid is lost. Wind turbines could step in here. However, can they withstand the resulting mechanical loads? The “GridLoads” research project, successfully completed by Fraunhofer IEE and MesH Engineering GmbH, now clearly shows that the plants can basically cope well with this—provided that the control modules of the plants are equipped for the new task beforehand. To analyze the occurring electromechanical oscillation modes, the researchers have carried out complex simulations.

Prof. Dr. Kurt Rohrig has been appointed as the acting executive director of Fraunhofer IEE, replacing Prof. Dr. Clemens Hoffmann, who had headed the institute since 2012.

Chilean and German experts took the opportunity to discuss and share latest developments of the energy transition in their countries during the international workshop “Towards a Sustainable Future”.

A study by the Fraunhofer IEE in Kassel examined the use of hydrogen in the future energy system with a special focus on building heat supply and related it to the direct use of electric power in heat pumps. An online presentation of the study and follow-up discussion will take place on: 22 July 2020 at 16:00 – 17:15.

Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) plays an important role as an insulating gas in electrical switchgear. The Fraunhofer IEE in Kassel and the Grenoble Ecole de Management (GEM) finalized a research study investigating the development of MV switchgear installations under different boundaries showing the impact on SF6 emissions, and analyzing the market acceptance of SF6-free alternatives, as well as barriers and drivers to adoption.