Zentrum für Sonnenenergie-und Wasserstoff-Forschung

The Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung (Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research, ZSW) in Stuttgart is one of the worldwide leading solar energy research institutes and carries out common research projects with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Collaborations exist in the fields of novel photovoltaic materials and power electronics.

Topics in Research and Development

The ZSW is one of the leading European research institutes in the fields of "Solar Energy" and "New Energy Storage Technology". The current work concentrates on the following topics:

Energy storage in batteries and supercapacitors:
Development of new active materials, design and construct Li-ion batteries, optimise lead battery systems, analyse ageing mechanisms, and carry out battery system tests and safety tests.
Fuel cells:
Design, and construct fuel cell stacks, and design and construct fuel cell systems from the milliwatt to the kilowatt range.
Fuels / Hydrogen:
Development of techniques to generate hydrogen and synthetic fuels from biomass, reform fuels for use in fuel cells, and separate CO₂.
Photovoltaic materials research:
Optimisation of semiconductors for the absorption of solar radiation, development of new solar module constructions, and development of processes for the production of thin-film photovoltaic modules.
Photovoltaic systems:
Improving yield of solar power stations with tracking and concentration, development of special module designs, and testing of modules in the laboratory and outdoors.
Energy economy:
Implementation of innovative energy technologies in concrete application situations, strategic analyses for energy systems and their development prospects.

ZSW´s research and development work covers the entire "value-added chain" of the topics - from materials development to system testing. This feature, together with synergy effects from the diverse activities, contributes to our success.

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