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.
The study analyzes a detailed dataset (1-second resolution) of household electricity consumption. It shows that a sampling rate of 15 minutes is insufficient to detect power peaks for billing purposes. A granularity of 5 to 10 seconds detects peaks but significantly increases data processing. This highlights the importance of high sampling rates in designing electricity tariffs that account for peak consumption.
Publication in ScienceDirect
A delegation from the Energy Lab participated in the eGrid 2024 workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The team engaged in exciting discussions with experts from research and industry, focusing on the current state and future of power electronics-based electricity grids. In addition to attending the workshop, the delegation visited the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Sandia National Laboratory to gain further insights and inspiration.
Website ieee-egrid.org
The Security Lab KASTEL will be represented at the RT24 UK conference. Ghada Elbez will give insights into cybersecurity research at the Energy Lab on November 29, 2024.
Website of RT24 UK