On this interview, Prof. Dr. Bruno Burger, Senior Scientist at Fraunhofer-Institute for Photo voltaic Power Techniques ISE, discusses his pioneering work in photo voltaic vitality and the event of the Power Charts platform. Prof. Dr. Burger shares insights on the challenges of offering real-time vitality knowledge, the rising affect of renewable vitality in Germany, and the longer term roles of battery storage and hydrogen. He additionally touches on coverage wants and the way clear knowledge can reshape public and governmental views on renewables. Dive into this dialog to uncover key insights into the way forward for photo voltaic vitality.
Sven Ossler: Hiya everybody, and warmly welcome to this interview with Prof. Dr. Bruno Burger. My identify is Sven Ossler. I work within the photo voltaic vitality business in Germany, and at present, we have now with us a really well-known determine within the business, Mr. Bruno Burger.
He’s behind a platform known as Power Charts, which offers in depth knowledge on vitality manufacturing and consumption in Germany. You possibly can monitor varied vitality sources over lengthy intervals, even way back to the Fifties. It’s fascinating as a result of, opposite to some media narratives, you possibly can clearly see the profound impression renewable energies have had on Germany’s vitality panorama, particularly over the previous few many years.
It’s an astonishing platform with freely accessible knowledge for everybody, and Mr. Burger, a scientist and engineer at Fraunhofer ISE, has been on the forefront of photo voltaic vitality improvement for over 20 years. Welcome to the interview, Mr. Burger.
Bruno Burger: Hiya, Mr. Ossler, and thanks for having me.
Sven Ossler: Bruno, your journey in renewable vitality started throughout your college days once you made your condo unbiased of typical electrical energy suppliers. How did this early expertise affect your method to photo voltaic vitality analysis and improvement all through your profession? This was within the late 80s, so it’s fairly astonishing how early you had been concerned on this subject.
Bruno Burger: Sure, I studied on the College of Karlsruhe, and at the moment, we had many discussions about whether or not nuclear vitality can be wanted sooner or later. I at all times believed that we didn’t want nuclear vitality and favored wind and photo voltaic. My colleagues, nonetheless, supported nuclear, and we had many debates. However in some unspecified time in the future, I noticed that discussing wasn’t sufficient, so I began taking motion. In 1988, I purchased my first photo voltaic module, a Siemens module with 38 watts of energy.
I used that module to cost a 12-volt lead-acid battery and disconnected my condo from the traditional grid. This setup labored advantageous till Christmas, however throughout winter, there wasn’t sufficient daylight. By January, I had to purchase a second photo voltaic module to make it by way of the darker months. Nevertheless, within the spring, my battery was full by 10 o’clock within the morning, and I used to be losing photo voltaic vitality. So, I constructed my first photo voltaic inverter, which had an influence output of 40 watts.
Sven Ossler: Wow! That’s fairly spectacular. Even within the Eighties, you managed to run your condo independently of conventional vitality suppliers?
Bruno Burger: Sure, I used to be totally unbiased. I needed to convert every part to 12 volts, nevertheless it labored. I even discovered a tv set within the cumbersome garbage on the road, which ran on 12 volts, together with my radio and different units.
Sven Ossler: That’s an unbelievable testomony to photo voltaic vitality, even again then. I believe that’s a reality many individuals ought to hear, particularly these nonetheless doubting the potential of solar energy.
Now, let’s discuss concerning the Power Charts platform, which you developed. It has change into a important instrument, particularly for the reason that vitality disaster following the Ukraine warfare, in displaying real-time knowledge on vitality developments in Germany. What had been a number of the greatest challenges you confronted in creating this platform, and the way did you overcome them?
Bruno Burger: There have been many challenges. We began round 2011 or 2012 by manually creating charts and turning them into PowerPoint slides and PDFs. Nevertheless, the information consistently modified, even retroactively for as much as two months. So, the thought got here as much as automate every part. By 2014, we launched a web-based platform the place scripts acquire and calculate all the information robotically. We now have servers gathering knowledge from round 10 to fifteen sources each hour, and we replace the Power Charts platform hourly to offer essentially the most up-to-date info.
Sven Ossler: May you rapidly clarify the information we see within the graphs you’re displaying proper now?
Bruno Burger: Sure, Power Charts brings collectively freely accessible knowledge on the vitality transition in Germany and Europe. We don’t generate the information ourselves however acquire it to offer a transparent overview of electrical energy manufacturing, renewable vitality percentages, and different metrics. Our most often used graph reveals the electrical energy manufacturing for European international locations, with real-time updates each hour. You possibly can see how vitality manufacturing is split between photo voltaic, wind, and fossil fuels, together with forecasts for the approaching day.
Sven Ossler: That’s nice. I see that for 2024, renewable vitality accounted for 65.6% of electrical energy fed into the general public grid in Germany. How do you see the way forward for photo voltaic vitality in Germany, particularly contemplating its rising share of the vitality combine?
Bruno Burger: We have to hold growing the put in capability of photo voltaic and wind energy. Moreover, we now have to give attention to battery storage to handle the excessive manufacturing ranges throughout midday and retailer extra vitality for night consumption, when demand is greater and electrical energy costs peak. By 2030, we’ll additionally want to start out producing hydrogen to energy industries and ultimately re-electrify in winter when renewable manufacturing is low.
Sven Ossler: So, battery storage can be for short-term wants, whereas hydrogen may function a long-term answer for seasonal vitality storage?
Bruno Burger: Precisely. First, we’ll use hydrogen for industries that presently depend on pure gasoline, and later, round 2040, we’ll use it for electrical energy era, significantly throughout winter in occasions when photo voltaic and wind vitality are inadequate.
Sven Ossler: Given your many years of expertise in photo voltaic vitality, how do you view the present tempo of photo voltaic adoption in Germany? Are there any particular insurance policies or improvements wanted to speed up the transition?
Bruno Burger: Proper now, it’s like Christmas for us within the business—photo voltaic module costs are extremely low, which is one thing we’ve been ready for over 40 years. The problem now lies with grid administration and storage options. We at all times want insurance policies to help renewables, however we additionally want insurance policies that enhance the prices for fossil fuels to make renewables much more aggressive.
Sven Ossler: And the way has the transparency supplied by platforms like Power Charts impacted public and governmental perceptions of renewable vitality?
Bruno Burger: It’s been essential. With Power Charts, we are able to present real-time, correct knowledge that dispels myths—reminiscent of the concept Germany is now depending on coal or nuclear imports. For instance, even after phasing out nuclear vitality, we haven’t elevated coal use, as some had feared. The information speaks for itself, and that has shifted the narrative considerably.
Sven Ossler: Thanks a lot for these insights, Bruno. It’s been an extremely enlightening dialog. Your work has undoubtedly contributed considerably to the renewable vitality transition, and it’s clear there’s far more to return.
Bruno Burger: Thanks. Everybody can contribute to the vitality transition, whether or not by putting in photo voltaic panels, driving electrical automobiles, or just strolling to the bakery. Each little motion counts.
Sven Ossler: An exquisite be aware to finish on. Thanks, Bruno, on your time and for sharing your experience.
