Research at DEW
The scarcity of fossil fuels and increasing environmental pollution have led to a fundamental rethink in the field of energy production.
According to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG 2025) and the German government's expansion targets, the share of renewable energies in gross electricity consumption is to rise to at least 80% by 2030.
In the long term, Germany is aiming for a completely greenhouse gas-neutral electricity supply based entirely on renewable sources.
These include, in particular, wind energy and photovoltaic systems, whose installed capacity is to be expanded to around 115 GW of onshore wind energy, 30 GW of offshore wind energy, and 215 GW of photovoltaics by 2030, in line with current targets.
However, these energy sources are volatile and subject to strong fluctuations depending on weather conditions, time of day, and season.
Catching and bridging peak loads and supply gaps is therefore one of the key challenges for future energy generation.
The “Dynamics of Energy Conversion” (DEC) research network is an interdisciplinary research project dedicated to addressing these challenges. The aim is to develop solutions for flexible, efficient, and sustainable energy conversion by combining experimental test benches, modern modeling methods, and a highly developed research infrastructure.
At the time of the application, the energy transition was primarily discussed in the context of the growing share of volatile wind and photovoltaic systems. The focus of the research building was therefore on increasing the speed at which conventional power plants can compensate for these fluctuations. This objective is reflected in the title of the research building, “Dynamics of Energy Conversion (DEW),” and in its original research program.
In the meantime, the energy transition itself has evolved significantly. Due to the accelerated expansion of wind and solar power plants, a significant reduction in conventional power plants now appears possible. “Green” electricity could be available almost continuously in the future, while chemical storage technologies—such as the production of “green” hydrogen or synthetic liquid energy carriers—could further secure the supply. Nevertheless, experts agree that dynamic and flexible power plants will continue to be necessary in the future to ensure security of supply. These will initially continue to be powered by natural gas or LNG, but will later be gradually converted to greenhouse gas-neutral methane (SNG) and finally to hydrogen.
Against this backdrop, the DEW's research program has been adjusted in certain areas without changing its fundamental structure. The four research areas remain in place, but their thematic focus has been adapted to current technological and political developments.
The Dynamics of Energy Conversion (DEC) research building combines technical, scientific, and economic expertise to meet the challenges of an increasingly renewable, decentralized, and dynamic energy supply.
Despite the changed conditions, the central goal remains the same: to develop and optimize flexible, efficient, and sustainable energy conversion systems for the future—incorporating new technologies such as hydrogen combustion and continuing research into aircraft engine dynamics as a key element of modern energy conversion.
The research covers five areas of research
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I. Dynamics of chemical-thermal energy conversion
Partial load operation, higher load gradients, high load cycle counts, and new combustion technologies such as power-to-gas pose new challenges for the design of the combustion process.
Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Friedrich Dinkelacker, a wide variety of aspects of the dynamics of chemical-thermal energy conversion are to be investigated and implemented. These include:- Gas combustion at low load and high hydrogen content in gas turbines
- Gas engines as a technology for flexible decentralized energy supply
- Additional combustion in the steam cycle of thermal power plants to provide reserve power
- Thermal inertia effects of power plant components
- Power-to-gas technologies as chemical storage
With the increasing focus on sustainably produced hydrogen, the focus of this research area is increasingly shifting to hydrogen-compatible combustion technologies.
Research is being conducted not only into 100% hydrogen systems, but also into the use of synthetically produced, greenhouse gas-neutral eFuels (e.g., synthetic methane, methanol, or kerosene-like fuels).
These eFuels can serve as chemical energy storage and enable the use of existing infrastructure and combustion systems under CO₂-neutral conditions. -
II. Dynamics of thermal-mechanical energy conversion
Gas and steam turbines as well as gas pipeline compressors suffer significant losses in efficiency when operating beyond the full load for which they are designed. However, future power plant requirements will include high efficiency in the transient and partial load range.
These topics are addressed in the research area of dynamics of thermal-mechanical energy conversion. Under the direction of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Joerg R. Seume, solutions are to be developed for the following topics:- Three-dimensional flows in turbomachinery at low load
- Increasing the partial load capacity of turbomachinery
- Transient aeroelasticity of turbomachinery
- Thermomechanical stresses and fatigue during transient operation
A complementary research focus continues to be the investigation of aircraft engines, whose high dynamic requirements are closely related to stationary energy conversion systems.
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III. Dynamics of mechanical-electrical energy conversion
Electrical machines are electromechanical energy converters in which either electrical energy is converted into mechanical kinetic energy in motor mode or mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy in generator mode.
Mechanical-electrical or electromechanical energy conversion exhibits pronounced nonlinear behavior. In particular, upper field effects and asymmetries in voltages and currents caused by deviations from the ideal form of the temporal current curve or the spatial field curve lead to pulsation moments in the electric machine. If, for example, there is a coupling with a thermal-mechanical energy converter, the torque fluctuations that occur are transmitted to it and can cause the turbine or compressor blades to vibrate.In order to prevent or reduce the additional blade loads that can lead to blade breakage, these effects are being investigated and solutions developed under the leadership of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernd Ponick in the research area of dynamics of mechanical-electrical energy conversion. The research focuses on the following areas:
- Vibration transmission through electrical machines between thermal-mechanical energy converters and the power grid
- Power electronics, drive control, and battery storage for mechanical-electrical stabilization
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IV. Dynamic coupling of energy conversion processes
Making energy conversion more flexible and diverse by connecting large and small, centralized and decentralized energy systems and power plants is an interdisciplinary task. Comprehensive modeling of the power grid with volatile energy feed-in, energy storage systems, and consumers should ultimately lead to intelligent control and system stabilization.
Under the direction of Prof. Dr.-Ing. i.R. Roland Scharf, the research area Dynamic Coupling of Energy Conversion Processes is therefore developing cross-system models for the efficient combination of existing and future technologies. The considerations are divided into:- Flexibilization of thermal power plant processes
- System stability of the electrical supply grid
- Convergence of gas and electricity grids
- Economic efficiency of energy conversion and storage options
- Identification and definition of interfaces
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V. Energy markets
Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Michael H. Breitner, the economic integration of technical systems into energy markets is being investigated.
This includes pricing mechanisms, resource planning for storage facilities and power plants, and the development of new business models for an increasingly volatile energy industry.
