R & D in the field of renewable energies

The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) is one of the leading institutes for applied research in the field of photovoltaics as well as battery and fuel cell technology. The institute is involved in cooperations with universities, research institutions and commercial enterprises at home and abroad.

Services Research and development (selection):

Regenerative fuels/hydrogen technology

• Development of electrolysis plants, operation management and safety concepts
• Development of various processes for the production of hydrogen or synthetic fuels from renewable resources (e.g. electrolysis/power-to-gas technology/thermochemical conversion processes)
• Reforming of fuels for the operation of fuel cells
• Use of hydrogen as a fuel

Fuel cells

• Modelling, design and realisation of PEM fuel cell stacks and fuel cell systems for the range from 5 W to 100 kW
• Application-oriented tests of components, stacks and subsystems from 0.1 to 160 kW
• Optimization and characterization o Failure and post-mortem analysis

(see fact sheet ZSW)

From 2022, expansion of the ZSW’s service offerings: The HyFaB factory

With the HyFaB factory, the ZSW is establishing an open industry platform to research automated manufacturing and quality assurance processes, factory acceptance tests and commissioning of fuel cell stacks. In addition, skilled workers are to be qualified and industry knowledge generated.

The focus is on scalable processes suitable for series production for component manufacture and on manufacturing processes for the stacking process. In addition to the ZSW, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg is involved in the HyFaB project as a scientific partner.

“HyFaB provides guidance on entering fuel cell technology and supports companies in the development of materials, components and manufacturing machines.”
is how Prof. Dr. Markus Hölzle, ZSW board member and head of the Electrochemical Energy Technologies division in Ulm, summarises the benefits of the planned research factory.

“We are already actively working with leading fuel cell manufacturers in Germany and are aware of the urgent needs of the industry. With the new HyFaB research factory, we can prepare even better for the industrial production of fuel cells in the future.”

The groundbreaking ceremony signals the start of construction for a new building at the ZSW in Ulm with an area of 3,300 square meters. The HyFaB buildings are being constructed on a neighbouring plot to the ZSW building at Lise-Meitner-Strasse 24.