Press Releases 2022

The construction of new LNG terminals with the aim of reducing energy dependence on Russian natural gas raises concerns that the associated fossil fuel infrastructure could hinder the transition of the energy system to renewable energy sources and thus the energy transition. Therefore, the question of convertibility of these LNG terminals for a later use with renewable energy carriers such as liquid hydrogen or ammonia is of particular importance. A new study by Fraunhofer ISI on behalf of the European Climate Foundation (ECF) addresses this question and finds that there is much uncertainty around the proposed conversion of LNG terminals to import liquid hydrogen or ammonia.

The usage of shared micromobility services has increased in recent years, particularly in urban areas. But can shared e-scooters and e-bikes contribute to the sustainability of cities and their transportation systems? To answer these and other questions, Fraunhofer ISI conducted a new study on behalf of the micromobility provider Lime by fusing mode shift survey data with lifecycle emissions data in six cities around the world. The study also sets out what implications these findings have for industry and practice.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI asked more than 200 manufacturing companies in Germany about their resilience to crises following the Corona lockdown in spring 2020. A resulting study, which has now been published, shows how important Industry 4.0 technologies are for the resilience of companies – and which sectors proved to be more resilient than others.

It is half a century since the Fraunhofer ISI was founded in 1972. To mark this occasion, around 200 guests from research, politics, business and society came together on Thursday at the ZKM (Center for Art and Media) in Karlsruhe to celebrate the Institute's 50th anniversary. The numerous guest speakers included Joanna Drake from the European Commission, Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, and Mario Brandenburg, Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF. They all acknowledged the high relevance of Fraunhofer ISI's research - not only over the past 50 years, but also for the future.

Future climate policy assigns hydrogen and H2 synthesis products great importance. But how could the demand for hydrogen develop globally? A new meta-study coordinated by Fraunhofer ISI addresses this question and re-evaluates more than 40 energy system and hydrogen scenarios within the HyPat research project. The study provides statements on the range of possible future developments of hydrogen demand, globally, in the EU, and China until 2050, and differentiates between various demand sectors. The focus is on scenarios with ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets.

In a recently published white paper, the Joint Innovation Hub at Fraunhofer ISI uses a new online survey on the Metaverse to examine international user preferences, business models and innovation processes in the Metaverse.

The space and water heating sector accounts for almost one third of Europe’s final energy consumption and is still dominated by fossil fuel use, most importantly natural gas. A new data set, developed in the context of the study “Renewable Space Heating under the Revised Renewable Energy Directive“ by TU Wien, Fraunhofer ISI, e-think, Öko-Institut and Viegang Maagoe reveals that, in the EU27, natural gas supplies almost 50 percent of space heating. The dependency on natural gas, however, varies strongly across countries, ranging from 0 to 90%. The study aims to provide a better information basis for policy design targeting decarbonization, and the newly published open data set that contains summaries for all EU27 countries allows users to explore the structure of space heating demand and supply in these countries.

Plug-in hybrid vehicles accounted for about 9% of all new passenger car registrations in Europe in the first quarter of 2022. Equipped with an internal combustion engine as well as an electric drive train, their contribution to emission reductions strongly depends on the usage patterns in everyday real-world driving. For a joint study, the German Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) analyzed extensive data for about 9,000 plug-in hybrids across Europe. The analysis shows the fuel consumption values of plug-in hybrid vehicles on average are significantly higher than the official test results – and recently further increased.

Fraunhofer ISI has developed a roadmap for solid-state batteries covering a wide range of aspects from the individual materials, components and cells through to their utilization. It critically evaluates existing research as well as the latest findings and compares the development potential of solid-state batteries over the next ten years with that of established lithium-ion batteries. The roadmap demonstrates that solid-state batteries have a lot of potential, but will have to prove their commercial viability in the next five years.

Together with its research partners, Fraunhofer ISI has published a new position paper in the HYPAT project, which deals with new approaches to evaluating partner countries for importing hydrogen, the development of import costs and the potentials for producing hydrogen in the EU, among other things. The paper also addresses the future economic development of Ukraine through the production and transportation of hydrogen.