On this interview, Bruno Burger, Senior Scientist at Fraunhofer-Institute for Photo voltaic Vitality Techniques ISE, discusses his pioneering work in photo voltaic power and the event of the Vitality Charts platform. Mr. Burger shares insights on the challenges of offering real-time power information, the rising affect of renewable power in Germany, and the longer term roles of battery storage and hydrogen. He additionally touches on coverage wants and the way clear information can reshape public and governmental views on renewables. Dive into this dialog to uncover key insights into the way forward for photo voltaic power.
Sven Ossler: Howdy everybody, and warmly welcome to this interview with Prof. Bruno Burger. My identify is Sven Ossler. I work within the photo voltaic power business in Germany, and right now, we have now with us a really well-known determine within the business, Mr. Bruno Burger.
He’s behind a platform known as Vitality Charts, which supplies in depth information on power manufacturing and consumption in Germany. You’ll be able to monitor varied power sources over lengthy intervals, even way back to the Fifties. It’s fascinating as a result of, opposite to some media narratives, you may clearly see the profound affect renewable energies have had on Germany’s power panorama, particularly over the previous few many years.
It’s an astonishing platform with freely accessible information for everybody, and Mr. Burger, a scientist and engineer at Fraunhofer ISE, has been on the forefront of photo voltaic power growth for over 20 years. Welcome to the interview, Mr. Burger.
Bruno Burger: Howdy, Mr. Ossler, and thanks for having me.
Sven Ossler: Bruno, your journey in renewable power started throughout your college days once you made your house unbiased of typical electrical energy suppliers. How did this early expertise affect your method to photo voltaic power analysis and growth all through your profession? This was within the late 80s, so it’s fairly astonishing how early you have 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 power can be wanted sooner or later. I all the time believed that we didn’t want nuclear power and favored wind and photo voltaic. My colleagues, nevertheless, 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 house from the standard grid. This setup labored wonderful 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 means 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 power. 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 Nineteen Eighties, you managed to run your house independently of conventional power suppliers?
Bruno Burger: Sure, I used to be absolutely unbiased. I needed to convert every little thing 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 power, 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 speak concerning the Vitality Charts platform, which you developed. It has develop into a crucial instrument, particularly because the power disaster following the Ukraine struggle, in exhibiting real-time information on power developments in Germany. What have been among the largest 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 continuously modified, even retroactively for as much as two months. So, the thought got here as much as automate every little thing. By 2014, we launched a web based platform the place scripts acquire and calculate all the information routinely. We now have servers gathering information from round 10 to fifteen sources each hour, and we replace the Vitality Charts platform hourly to supply probably the most up-to-date data.
Sven Ossler: Might you shortly clarify the information we see within the graphs you’re exhibiting proper now?
Bruno Burger: Sure, Vitality Charts brings collectively freely out there information on the power transition in Germany and Europe. We don’t generate the information ourselves however acquire it to supply a transparent overview of electrical energy manufacturing, renewable power percentages, and different metrics. Our most steadily used graph exhibits the electrical energy manufacturing for European nations, with real-time updates each hour. You’ll be able to see how power 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 power 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 power in Germany, particularly contemplating its rising share of the power combine?
Bruno Burger: We have to preserve growing the put in capability of photo voltaic and wind energy. Moreover, we now have to concentrate on battery storage to handle the excessive manufacturing ranges throughout midday and retailer extra power for night consumption, when demand is greater and electrical energy costs peak. By 2030, we’ll additionally want to begin 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 power storage?
Bruno Burger: Precisely. First, we’ll use hydrogen for industries that at present depend on pure gasoline, and later, round 2040, we’ll use it for electrical energy technology, significantly throughout winter in occasions when photo voltaic and wind power are inadequate.
Sven Ossler: Given your many years of expertise in photo voltaic power, 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 all the time want insurance policies to assist 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 offered by platforms like Vitality Charts impacted public and governmental perceptions of renewable power?
Bruno Burger: It’s been essential. With Vitality Charts, we are able to present real-time, correct information that dispels myths—akin to the concept Germany is now depending on coal or nuclear imports. For instance, even after phasing out nuclear power, 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 power transition, and it’s clear there’s way more to come back.
Bruno Burger: Thanks. Everybody can contribute to the power transition, whether or not by putting in photo voltaic panels, driving electrical vehicles, or just strolling to the bakery. Each little motion counts.
Sven Ossler: An exquisite notice to finish on. Thanks, Bruno, in your time and for sharing your experience.
