Fresh ideas for implementing the energy transition – this year’s candidates for the German Renewables Awards 2023

21 applications, four categories, one topic: the energy transition. The candidates for the German Renewables Awards in the Product Innovation, Project, Student Thesis and Hydrogen Innovation sections are all aimed at advancing the energy transition. The renowned industry awards will be presented for the twelfth time on 21 November 2023 at Hamburg’s Curio Haus.

Product Innovation of the Year

The flexibility marketeer for large battery storage systems, suena, submitted an autopilot that allows customers to offer software-based energy trading of energy storage systems on short-term energy and balancing markets. Freqcon, on the other hand, developed a system in which batteries and photovoltaics are directly integrated via a DC connection. The charging capacity is maximum 200kW for 400VDC vehicles and 400kW for 800VDC vehicles. The wind turbine manufacturer, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, submitted a concept for recycling rotor blades. A total of six companies entered the ‘Product Innovation of the Year’ section.

Project of the Year

In 2023, the logistics company, Still, built a new production facility for 24, 48 and 80 volt fuel cell systems at its Hamburg site, including a fully-fledged test rig for final system acceptance. EEHH member, Teos Energy, built a photovoltaic system with an output of 41 kWp on a waste and ash landfill site at its Waste Disposal Centre in Leppe. Edgar Kimbel e.K. submitted its concept for a viticulture PV system producing 300 kWp. The company aims to use experimental development to help research agrivoltaic systems as new technologies in the ground-mounted PV segment and accelerate their time to market. Five companies submitted entries in the ‘Project of the Year’ category.

Student Thesis of the Year

One example of the entries nominated for Student Thesis of the Year was a model hydrogen-based energy storage system that was developed at the Fraunhofer IWS Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven. This thesis dealt with hydrogen-based energy storage systems as part of the new Renewable Energy Act tender segment and examined its efficiency, along with the utilisation level of its components during operation that is beneficial for the network. Another Master’s thesis submitted by the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences investigated the use of a power-to-hydrogen system that is beneficial for the network based on water electrolysis. The hydrogen produced is used to decarbonise a sub-process at Aurubis AG in Hamburg as part of the Northern Living Lab (NRL) research project. The third Master’s thesis to be nominated, also submitted by the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, evaluates a flexible hydrogen transport chain for the decentralised distribution of hydrogen using the planned HH-WIN hydrogen network of Gasnetz Hamburg GmbH. The authors of five theses entered the ‘Student Thesis of the Year’ section.

Hydrogen Innovation of the Year

There was a choice of five projects in the newest category of the German Renewables Awards, the ‘Hydrogen Innovation of the Year’. Starting with the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action’s new H2 Global funding tool. In December 2022, a tender process for green ammonia, green methanol and e-SAF was held for the first time. The TÜV Nord Group submitted its ‘Certification and Proof of Origin for Imported Green Hydrogen and PtX Products’ expert opinion prepared for H2 Global.