Partnership profile

Hamburg and the surrounding area can often be quite windy, so the metropolis on the Elbe river has the best conditions for advancing the topic of wind energy and the sustainable restructuring of the energy system in Germany. To this end, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW) and partners from industry have launched the X-Energy research cooperation.

This broad-based research project pursues an ambitious goal: to rapidly expand the energy transition in Germany. Annette Preikschat, innovation manager at HAW Hamburg, explains what this means in specific terms: “Phase one of the energy transition concentrated on the establishment and expansion of renewable generation infrastructure. We are now at the beginning of phase two. It is now a matter of transforming the entire energy system, especially with regard to distribution and storage, as well as the energy conversion of electricity into heat and fuel. This is done, for example, by so-called PtL (power to liquid) or PtG (power to gas) processes, where surplus electricity is used to generate liquid fuels and store them for the long term. Alternatively, it is possible to convert it into biogas, which can also be stored long term or fed into the natural-gas grid. The central challenge in this regard is to synchronise renewable energy production and consumption. This requires intelligent interaction between the various energy technologies and sectors.” In this context, X-Energy is dedicated to the three main topics of wind energy, system integration and energy storage. The three fields of action – environment and acceptance, renewable energy production and sector coupling – have been defined across these topics.

Of bats and hydrocarbon

Wind energy is one of the most important sources of renewable energy. In 2017, it became Germany’s second-largest energy source after lignite and, with 104 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity produced, was far ahead of solar energy and hydropower with 38.4 TWh and 20.9 TWh respectively. Nevertheless, today’s wind turbines still have potential for optimisation, for example in terms of their efficiency. In addition, problems of acceptance by society due to light and noise emissions as well as environmental protection concerns hinder further expansion. X-Energy researches and develops innovative solutions for these challenges as part of various impulse projects. One concrete example is the FLEDERWIND project. In order to protect bats, the parties involved are investigating what is causing them to collide with wind turbines. The findings are used to derive measures to minimise the risk of collision. Data on the species, number and flight behaviour of bats, for example, are obtained using an innovative combination of a radar system, “batcorder” (a device for recording bat calls) and thermal-imaging camera.

System integration is the second major topic of X-Energy. The aim is to link the electricity sector with other major consumption sectors such as heat and mobility, thus achieving constant grid stability: excess wind energy does not overload the power grid; instead, it is converted into heat or used for electromobility. One example of the system integration topic is the impulse project X-Smart Wind, which aims to optimise the location planning of wind turbines. For a long time now, it has been more than the availability of wind that plays a role. In addition to grid connection, a suitable location should offer other flexibility options, for example the direct sale of electricity to local industrial customers. The sensible storage of excess electricity and the possible production of hydrogen should also be examined at an early stage. With comprehensive hydrogen production through renewable energies, the heat and mobility sectors could also be made carbon-neutral.

Finally, the topic of energy storage is devoted to the question of how the naturally fluctuating availability of wind energy can be balanced out. Those involved are working on solutions to store or otherwise make use of surplus energy. As part of the READi-PtL impulse project, for example, the partners involved convert bio-oil obtained from used fats into hydrocarbons with the aid of surplus electricity from wind turbines – a high-purity liquid fuel for climate- and environment-friendly mobility.

Tailwind for the energy transition  

“Global climate protection and the energy transition are fundamentally important issues and must be driven by intensive research. By collaborating directly with companies, the path to the market for innovations is not a long journey,” says Annette Preikschat. X-Energy thus not only makes an important contribution to climate and environmental protection, but also allows all those involved to benefit: the companies can access the collective research expertise of HAW Hamburg and thus quickly and efficiently develop and sell innovative products for their markets. Thanks to X-Energy, the Hamburg metropolitan region has made good progress on its way to becoming the driver of innovation for the energy transition. And HAW Hamburg is expanding its position as a leading innovation centre for the generation and intelligent use of renewable energies. By the way, the cornerstone for this was laid years ago: in 2015, HAW Hamburg opened the Energy Campus of the Competence Center for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency for practical research into issues related to wind energy generation, plant operation, grid integration and storage. With the Curslack wind farm, which opened in 2018, there is also a test site with five wind turbines in the immediate vicinity of the test centre, which provides X-Energy partners with an excellent infrastructure to achieve their common goal of making a contribution to the realisation of the energy transition in Germany.