WeForming
Buildings as efficient and interoperable components of the future energy system
Research focus
Sustainable Engineering and Energy
Sustainability is of central importance. It ensures that the needs of today’s generation are considered without jeopardizing the resources and opportunities of future generations. In the face of climate change and scarce resources, sustainable action is urgently needed and crucial to safeguard long-term economic, social, and environmental stability.
In this research focus, we will pool the research and design of sustainable IT innovations in the cross-sectional areas of energy, mobility, production, water management, and logistics. The spectrum ranges from highly automated and scalable processes for electricity grid operators to digitalize electricity grids to research into sustainable water management, resource efficiency, and circular economy. The focus is also on the transfer of innovations to develop sustainable business models. In joint projects and bilateral collaborations, the FZI conducts research on practice-relevant research results with industry and application partners.
In addition, we contribute our technical expertise to the training of climate coaches as part of the Mittelstand-Digital Zentrum Klima.Neutral.Digital and thus provide a comprehensive range of support services for small and medium-sized enterprises.
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Digital twins of electricity grids
We transfer the concept of digital twins to electricity grids to create computable digital images of electricity grids from inventory and measurement data in a highly automated – and therefore scalable – manner. This helps electricity grid operators overcome the challenges posed by the spread of decentralized prosumer systems such as PV systems, battery storage, charging stations, and heat pumps.
Energy transition in the city
We want to accelerate the climate-adaptive redesign of urban districts through the development of AI-supported tools. Approaches of generative AI can interactively support urban planners in the design of 3D models of individual neighborhoods or districts. They can also help to pursue a holistic optimization approach that considers thermal comfort, air corridors, drainage potential, and biodiversity through greening.
Solutions for the water industry
Waterways are important economic routes in Germany. The reliability of weirs and waterway locks plays an important role here. Accordingly, the FZI is researching innovations for the implementation of preventive and resource-saving maintenance and preservation measures of weir systems and shipping lanes.
Current research topics
We support grid operators with our research in the digitization and stabilization of power grids. Whether web services for energy management systems, decentralized prosumer systems or the development of scalable processes and sustainable business models – our research supports companies in the energy industry to meet their challenges.
Innovations in bidirectional charging of electric vehicles are investigated with the appropriate hardware in our real-world laboratory environments. The secure exchange of data in smart grids is also a research topic.
By developing VR-based simulation models, also in combination with foresight methods, the FZI helps to make informed decisions about the design of sustainability strategies and the implementation of sustainable innovations at the corporate and political level.
Current research projects also address the energy flexibility of refrigeration applications. The open source framework BEMCom, developed at the FZI for the integration of energy systems, is currently being expanded to include interfaces in the context of refrigeration systems.
Highlight projects
Sustainable Engineering and Energy
Hybrenergy
Hybrid building twins for increased energy efficiency
FlexBlue
Flexible refrigeration systems against the background of increased decarbonization
ROUTINE
Living lab for the transfer of digital health applications and AI into healthcare
ThinKIsense
Resource-efficient Thin-Edge systems through integrated AI and neuromorphic electronics in sensors
GreenEdge
Climate-friendly, neuromorphic and for a sustainable transport infrastructure of the future.
Mittelstand-Digital Zentrum Klima.Neutral.Digital
Actively addressing the challenges posed by climate change and using them as an opportunity for the German economy.
Delfine
Dynamic demand-response system for sustainable manufacturing via IT networking facilitating efficient energy use, marketing, and generation
RealWork
Success factors for CoWorking Spaces
VIRTUS
Bringing people together with virtual reality
Our competence, your advantage
- Close integration of knowledge at the FZI from the application fields of energy, production, mobility, transport and logistics, as well as with the research focus Safety, Security and Law
- Profound methodological and domain expertise, especially in the field of intelligent energy management: from modeling and simulation to the optimization of energy systems and regulatory expertise, to an in-depth understanding of the IT architecture of the systems and the control of hardware components such as the charging infrastructure for e-mobility or CLS (Controllable Local System) management in the context of smart metering systems.
- High “technology readiness level”, particularly in the field of energy informatics. This readiness level is beneficial for demonstrating innovative concepts and solutions in real-world laboratories and for developing effective practical solutions from a single source for industrial customers.
You are interested in our professional expertise?
You are welcome to contact us regarding cooperation opportunities or requests for proposals.
Transfer
Lab environments, advancing participatory formats, outstanding experts, and startups as transfer guarantors
The FZI drives knowledge and technology transfer through the FZI House of Living Labs, the virtual AI showroom of the Digital Hub Karlsruhe – Applied Artificial Intelligence and its real-world laboratories such as the Smart East commercial district in public space.
Outstanding minds also ensure the transfer from the research focus: scientists collaborate in expert committees, such as the Forum Netztechnik/Netzbetrieb (Network Technology and Operation Forum) at the VDE in the working group “Coordinated Control via Smart Metering” or in the VDI committee for guidelines on information and IT security of operations management systems in the energy industry.
Start-ups also guarantee transfer: accordingly, the FZI supports technology and knowledge transfer in the field of energy to start-ups through cooperation with the energy accelerator AXEL. At the beginning of 2023, the research focus also directly resulted in the spin-off InnoCharge, which optimizes charging processes.
Research infrastructure
Real laboratories and the FZI Living Labs smartEnergy and Industrial Intelligence offer hands-on research results
- Real-world laboratories as ideal spaces for design and testing: a) FZI Living Lab Industrial Intelligence: energy and resource-flexible production in terms of a resilient circular
- economy. Numerous demonstrators, such as an interactive production demonstrator that uses a digital twin to achieve the intelligent optimization of order control. Conditions such as fluctuating energy availability or dynamic electricity prices and delivery times are included.