JARA-ENERGY: Energy Research for the Future

  © Forschungszentrum Jülich

The exploration of sustainable - i.e. efficient, resource-conserving, environmentally compatible and secure - provision, use and optimization of energy resources is one of the most decisive societal challenges of the near future.

 

Goals

The goal of JARA-ENERGY is to research, optimize, and develop energy technologies and systems solutions along systems and value added chains, and in interdisciplinary interface-oriented issues, as well as from fundamentals to complete application.

Areas of Research and Application

JARA-ENERGY addresses questions and problems in the field of energy research. RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich seek to provide new impetus to existing research collaborations and establish new ones, in particular in the following areas:

• Electrochemical energy techniques
• Change, transport, and storage of energy
• Renewable energies
• Materials in energy engineering
• Systems analysis
• Production technology for energy systems

 

The JARA-ENERGY section structures its activities in three key areas:

Processes – Chemical Engineering and Manufacturing Processes Are at the Focus of the Processes Area.

The central question for researchers in this area is, in particular, how energy carriers and chemical feedstocks can be solely provided from renewable energies. Possible fluctuations in electric current that occur in wind and solar power generation may be counterbalanced by novel batteries that act as storage units in a decentralized electricity grid. Furthermore, under the heading of “Power to X,” conversion techniques are being investigated which make it possible to convert electric current into hydrogen, methane, and other chemicals and energy carriers.

Systems – Investigation and Optimization of Energy Systems

JARA-ENERGY focuses on the investigation of the availability, opportunities, and risks of technological developments in the energy system with the aim to secure future energy supplies in a sustainable manner. JARA-ENERGY offers the unique opportunity to bring together experts from all energy supply-related fields – electricity, heat, gases, traffic and transport, and fundamental materials science – and thus to arrive at a comprehensive perspective on the energy supply system. This makes it possible to create holistic analyses and develop future options that take into account economic, business-administrative, and user acceptance aspects.

Materials – Development and Research of New Materials for Use in the Generation and Storage of Electricity

Efficient materials form the basis not only for storage media, but also for the generation of electricity. Wind turbines, solar plants, and power stations can equally benefit from new materials that not only meet economical goals but are also perfectly adapted to specific applications. Furthermore, power electronics, network components, thermal isolation materials, and new drilling techniques for the utilization of geothermal resources, for example, are based on innovative and resource-friendly materials. Electrochemical storage elements, however, pose a particular challenge. To address this challenge, the scientists involved in the Materials area are developing new battery concepts and conduct research on all aspects that are necessary to be able to integrate batteries in a broad range of applications.