hybrid+smart

Schematic structure fo the hybrid+smart energy harvesting system (Bild: TH Köln)

The focus of the conducted work is on the implementation of manufacturing technologies that allow for cost-effective realisation in series production. Addressing the European Union’s need for more energy-efficient buildings hybrid+smart provides solutions for improving conventional building-integrated photovoltaics. These systems, as customary devices, often have a rather low efficiency due to the lack of optimal alignment with the sun and the unfavourable heat transfer inherent in the design. Also, commercially available systems typically lack intelligent monitoring to verify for example that the system is operating as intended. For these applications, the hybridisation of photovoltaics and thermoelectrics in conjunction with cloud-connected sensor technology, brought closer to series production with hybrid+smart, enables an increase in power output through the use of various energy converters, improved thermal management and intelligent monitoring.

In hybrid+smart, the Technische Hochschule Köln is working together with the Institute for Production Technology and Organisation gGmbH – IPTO on the development, testing and validation of this innovative smart and hybrid energy harvesting concept. In this context, a demonstrator is being built that prioritises manufacturing and assembly-orientated design and harmonised parameters for photovoltaics and thermoelectrics. Laboratory experiments and field tests are used to evaluate and validate the hybrid and smart manufacturing concept and to demonstrate the potential for increased efficiency.

hybrid+smart is financed for the period from October 2024 to June 2025 by the iClimaBuilt consortium https://iclimabuilt.eu/, which is funded by the European Union. The iClimaBuilt partners E2ARC, Eurecat, Fraunhofer ISE, Stratagem and TEGnology are actively supporting hybrid+smart with their pilot lines and services.