The advancing climate change increasingly requires fundamental and comprehensive transformations of energy supply systems. For this purpose, the previous provision of energy based on fossil fuels must be replaced by energy provision based on renewable energies. There are significant potentials, especially in the expansion of renewable energies, particularly in wind power and solar radiation, for electricity generation. Consequently, electric energy will significantly gain importance in the transformation of energy supply systems. Additionally, due to the dependence of these renewable energies on the availability of sufficiently strong winds and solar radiation, the electricity generation characteristics will substantially change. Therefore, it becomes increasingly necessary for the demand side of energy to actively and flexibly participate in the supply process.

Against this backdrop, the research group "Energy Systems and System Integration" addresses fundamental questions of energy system transformation and the associated challenge of efficiently integrating fluctuating renewable energies at all levels of energy supply. This includes addressing questions related to optimized technology design as well as evaluating the interaction of various energy supply and usage options at both local and regional levels. This is always realized from a systemic perspective to assess not only the individual consideration of technical solutions but also the influence of certain energy conversion options on overarching energy systems. Furthermore, the analysis of the ecological effects associated with the use of different energy carriers in a corresponding integrated supply system – especially concerning climate impact – is a central research focus of the research group.

Energy system modeling, simulation, and optimization form an important methodological basis for the analysis of individual technology approaches (e.g., simulation of substance and energy transport processes using finite element or finite volume methods) as well as for the consideration of energy systems at the local (e.g., modeling and optimization of production sites, disposal plants) and overarching levels (e.g., optimization and evaluation of the ramp-up of sustainable air turbine fuels production or energy system transformation paths in the European context). The research focuses of the research group include:

• Energy system flexibilization through the use of energy storage and other demand-side flexibility options, particularly both technology optimization and optimized technology integration,
• The (local) use of renewable energy sources, including both the direct integration of local electricity generation from renewable energies and the flexible operation of power-to-X plants (e.g., electrolyzers) and the integration of the produced secondary energy carriers,
• The use of renewable energy sources (e.g., hydrogen) or fuels (e.g., biofuels, power-to-liquid fuels) in an overarching system context, e.g., concerning the successive transformation of mobility systems (e.g., road traffic, aviation) as well as

• The climate effects of energy use in various areas of the energy system (e.g., CO2 and non-CO2 effects in the aviation sector)

The research group "Energy Systems and System Integration" aims to develop scientifically sound insights into energy system transformation and thereby contribute to the development towards a sustainable and climate-friendly future.

Here you can find the most recent scientific publications from the research group.

We appreciate your interest in our research and warmly invite you to learn more about our work. If you have any questions or are interested in collaboration, please feel free to contact us.

Group Leader: Dr. Jelto Lange