New research platform ‘lasers for hydrogen technology’ inaugurated
A major goal of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT is to make the fuel cell ready for series production.
The Aachen researchers are setting up a hydrogen laboratory on more than three hundred square meters of laboratory space: Here, a wide range of laser technology test facilities will offer public projects and industrial cooperation a research platform that is unique in Germany. On May 5, 2022, the new Hydrogen Lab will open its doors for the first time to participants of the “International Laser Technology Congress AKL‘22” in Aachen as part of ILT’s biannual event “Laser Technology Live.”
In many parts of the world, climate change has become an immediate existential threat with global ramifications. In accordance with the Paris Agreement, Germany plans, therefore, to become climate-neutral by 2045 – i.e. it will no longer produce any CO2 emissions.
To ensure that the energy transition succeeds, scientists not only at Fraunhofer ILT, but throughout Germany are developing new technologies for energy generation and use that are sustainable, efficient and economical, and hydrogen technology plays a prominent role in this. Hydrogen produced in a climate-friendly way makes it possible to reduce CO2 emissions wherever energy efficiency and the direct use of electricity from renewable sources are not sufficient. There, hydrogen produced at excess production times with electricity from renewable sources can replace coal. Hydrogen-fueled peak-load power plants, in turn, could ensure that the energy supply is secure.
The activities in the ILT’s new Hydrogen Lab are embedded in the institute’s business strategy. For example, the researchers are working on of laser processes for the production of bipolar plates used in fuel cells. By selectively structuring and coating bipolar plates, research can significantly improve their efficiency and functionality. The new Hydrogen Lab gives researchers at both Fraunhofer ILT and their partners from science and industry new opportunities to link process results from manufacturing technology with the performance and functionality targets they have set.
