Welcome to the Energy Lab
The energy transition is accompanied by many questions: How can energy be generated in an environmentally friendly way and stored with low losses?
What happens when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow? And what if more electricity is suddenly needed?
To answer these questions, the Energy Lab is researching the intelligent linking of various energy generation, storage and supply options.
Research for the energy transition
The aim is to achieve climate neutrality by 2045 and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 65% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. However, wind or solar energy cannot be generated consistently everywhere. Energy is often needed away from where it is generated and peak loads are to be expected at certain times. This dilemma must therefore be solved, because affordable and environmentally friendly energy should no longer remain a utopian dream.
As Europe's largest research infrastructure for renewable energy, the Energy Lab is taking on this major task. Here, the intelligent networking of environmentally friendly energy generators and storage methods is being investigated. In addition, energy systems of the future are simulated and tested on the basis of real consumer data. A system network links electrical, thermal and chemical energy flows as well as new information and communication technologies. The aim of the research work is to improve the transportation, distribution, storage and use of electricity and thus create the basis for the energy transition.
The Energy Lab is a project of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in cooperation with the Helmholtz Centers German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ).
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) as well as the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts (MWK) are funding the Energy Lab.
By 2030, the High Power Grid Lab (HPGL) in the Energy Lab will be a globally unique test environment for researching the system behavior of new grid technologies such as power converters for medium-voltage direct current grids under realistic conditions. Already in its development phase, the HPGL at KIT is an international transfer hub for knowledge and technology in practical applications.
Press Release (in German)
From March 10 to 13, 2025, the scientific evaulation of the Helmholtz Research Area Energy took place. The Helmholtz Program Energy System Design (ESD) was also assessed. Innovative approaches for the sustainable transformation of the energy system were presented. Learn more about the research on effective and socially feasible transformation paths, digitalization and system technology, as well as the activities during the evaluation.
To the news post
Fuels such as kerosene can be produced in a climate-friendly way from CO2, water and green electricity using power-to-liquid processes. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have already demonstrated this with plants in real operation. Researchers in the Kopernikus project P2X have now coupled the highly efficient co-electrolysis process with fuel synthesis for the first time on an industrially relevant scale of 220 kilowatts. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the project.
Read PM (in German)