Environmentally-Friendly, Sustainable Energy
The increasing number of weather-related catastrophes acts as an incentive to rethink our attitudes to and uses of energy and energy resources. There is increasing evidence that current energy production practices – and the concomitant emission of carbon dioxides – are resulting in global climate change, as has been reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a consortium of international scientists from diverse backgrounds.
Environmentally-Friendly and Sustainable Energy Technology
The Sustainable Energy research cluster is concerned with environmentally-friendly and sustainable energy technology and aims at increasing energy efficiency and developing forms of sustainable energy production. In this context one of the key strategies would be the intelligent integration of energy networks (electricity, gas, heat) in combination with decentralizing energy generation and supply. Decentralised energy systems resemble but go beyond smart grids (in the field of electricity).
Forms of resource-friendly energy production have not only to be examined with regard to energy demand and economic efficiency, but social issues have to be taken into account as well.
With regard to future technologies, we continuously conduct basic research in the relevant disciplines, e.g. relating to novel thermal insulation materials for the use in "intelligent" buildings facades, or new semiconductor structures for utilization in energy conversion technologies (power electronics).
The cluster pursues an integrative, transdisciplinary and holistic approach which brings together competences from the relevant disciplines and the increasingly imbricated fields of research – a prerequisite for finding intelligent and pragmatic solutions for a sustainable energy future.
E.ON Energy Research Center
The E.ON Energy Research Center represents the beacon project of the Sustainable Energy Cluster, as its five departments are concerned with the above mentioned thematic complex, focusing on energy efficiency, energy consumption reduction, and renewable energy technology.