Welcome to the Energy Lab 2.0
The energy transition raises many questions: How can energy be generated in an environmentally friendly way and stored efficiently? What happens when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow? And what happens if more electricity is suddenly needed? To answer these questions, the Energy Lab 2.0 researches the intelligent interaction of various options to generate, store and supply energy.
Research for the Energy Transition
By 2045, climate neutrality is to be achieved. Meanwhile – by 2030 – greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced by at least 65% compared with 1990.
However, wind or solar energy cannot be generated consistently everywhere. Energy is often needed far away from where it is generated, and peak loads can be expected at certain times.
This dilemma must therefore be solved because affordable and environmentally compatible energy should no longer remain a utopia.
As Europe's largest research infrastructure for renewable energy, the Energy Lab 2.0 finds answers to all these questions. Here, the intelligent networking of environmentally friendly energy generators and storage methods are investigated. In addition, energy systems of the future are simulated and tested based on real consumer data.
A plant network links electrical, thermal and chemical energy flows as well as new information and communication technologies. The research aims at improving the transport, distribution, storage and use of electricity and thus create the basis for the energy transition.
Then Energy Lab 2.0 is a cooperative project of the Karlsruher Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Helmholtz Centres Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
The project is sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts (MWK).
ZDF answers open questions about the energy transition in its new documentary. One answer to how energy can be stored efficiently and in a space-saving way is the methanation plant at the Energy Lab 2.0. Starting at minute 16:28, the team shows the research plant and explains how the conversion works.
Zur Doku auf ZDF-Seite
The debate about phasing out the internal combustion engine shows how important interdisciplinary research is. We'll only find a viable solution for the transportation transition if all options are adequately tested and evaluated, and solutions optimized. The ARD Mittagsmagazin shows different sides of synthetic fuels and electromobility.
Watch Mittagsmagazin in German
ARTE produced a comprehensive documentary about green energy and its storage options. This documentary aims at the chemical storage as the methanation plants @ Energy Lab 2.0. Professor Hagenmeyer, moreover, explains how smart future energy grids should be designed.
Watch documentary (in German or French)
KIT has been awarded the international Paul Pietsch Prize for the Power-to-X technology. The prize was handed over to Prof. Dittmeyer for the his contribution to the transport transotion.
Read Article at Presseportal (in German)
In the debate about combustion engines, e-fuels are an important solution. ZDF's heute Journal took up this topic. From about minute 13:00, the advantages of synthetic fuels are highlighted and the research in the Energy Lab 2.0 plant network is shown.
Watch ZDF heute Journal (in German)
Mentioning the CO2-extraction process of the Power-to-Liquid technology, Reuters and Handelsblatt published a videos. They describe how carbon dioxide from the air is removed though the Direct Air Capture (DAC) and can be used for multiple purposes.
Watch Video on YouTube (in German)