The energy transition is starting in Germany several years late. Now things are supposed to move quickly, but many developments are only just beginning. Research is being carried out everywhere, there are new possibilities and findings that will pay off in the future when it comes to generating, storing and consuming energy for all households.
Researchers at Fraunhofer IKTS in Jena are developing a sodium battery. Sodium occurs thousands of times more frequently on earth than lithium, is much easier to recycle and offers a way out of the "lithium trap". Another path in battery development are so-called organic batteries.
In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector, the technical building equipment must be innovatively changed. TH Köln is developing a new method for room conditioning. This involves a demand-oriented approach in which heating, cooling and air filtration are ensured by mobile units.
Heat pumps are currently experiencing a boom as a heating technology, but not every property has space for them. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems is currently testing new types of solar thermal façade elements. They consist of façade cladding elements that can be architecturally designed. The heat from solar radiation or from the environment is released via a heat exchanger.
The Switch2Save project explores how the energy exchange between the interior spaces of buildings and the environment is influenced by windows and glass facades. Lightweight, switchable and smart glass technologies can improve the energy management of buildings and help reduce energy consumption for heating or cooling.
According to a study by the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, about two thirds of the electricity demand in the Free and Hanseatic City could be covered by solar systems in the future.
These few examples show how building and renovation will be done in the future. There is a lot of potential for a liveable future in the cooperation between politics, research and business.
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