ZAE Bayern Overview

Charactered Objectives

The Bavarian Center for Applied Energy Research (ZAE Bayern) is a registered, non-profit association. The association was founded in December 1991 and has its registered office in Würzburg. It was established to promote energy research as well as education, furthertraining, consultation, information and documentation in all fields significant to energy research. The Association supports a scientific research institute with three divisions in Würzburg, Erlangen and Garching, employing about 180 scientists, technicians, administrative personnel and students.

Institute Profile

ZAE Bayern works on the interface between evidence-based fundamental and applied- industrial research. Every year the institute performs a great number of projects with the industry, from SME to large groups, as well as with university and non-university research partners.

The most important themes of research at ZAE Bayern are to encourage the use of renewable energy and increasing the energy efficiency.

The institute's research topics are divided into the following core issue

Photovoltaics
Energy storage
Energy optimized buildings
Energy efficient processes

and cross-sutting issues:

Nanomaterials
Thermophysics and thermosensorics
System modeling

Competence in materials science, theoretical understanding and development of components and finally optimization of the same within energy systems create a continuous, knowledge-based chain of value. Our integrative approach to these individual focuses facilitates the task of finding effective solutions to increase energy efficiency and boost the use of renewable energy sources.

Projects realized at the institute take advantage of interdivisional cooperation and benefit from the competences within the close network of research groups within each division. Education is a further pillar of ZAE Bayern's activities; around 50 students completed their diploma and bachelor theses at ZAE Bayern in 2010.

Cooperations

ZAE Bayern intensely promotes the practical application of scientific findings, constantly endeavoring to form cooperative partnerships with scientific and industrial organizations. Joint projects realized by the institute's divisions together with industrial partners profit from close networking and the resulting synergies. Thanks to successfully raising third-party funds over several years, ZAE Bayern is not only able to strengthen its core issues of energy research, but is also experiencing growth in human resources and investments, in order to become competitive in the close future as an organization. ZAE Bayern has special close ties with the universities in Munich, Würzburg and Erlangen. ZAE Bayern is a member of the FVEE - Forschungsverbund Erneuerbare Energien(Renewable Energy Research Association), a strategic partnership between non-university German research institutes working in the field of renewable energy. In 2010 Prof. V. Dyakonov was voted spokesman for FVEE. ZAE Bayern is a founding member of the Energy Campus Nuremberg (EnCN). EnCN is a research cooperation between the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, the Georg-Simon-Ohm University of Applied Sciences in Nuremberg and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. (Society for the Promotion of Applied Research) and ZAE Bayern in the field of energy research. ZAE Bayern is a partner of the interdisciplinary research acenter "TUM-Energy".

Organization

The institute comprises three divisions. The division in Garching, "Technology for Energy Systems and Renewable Energy", is managed by two scientific directors, university professors Dr. Ulrich Stimming and Dr. Hartmut Spliethoff and head of division Dr. Andreas Hauer, which is the successor of the long term head of division Dipl.-Phys. Wolfgang Schölkopf. The division develops and researches heat storage and conversion as well as electrochemical conversion and storage. Further focuses of R&D are biomass as well as geothermal and solar thermal systems.

The division in Erlangen, "Photovoltaics and Thermosensorics", is headed by Prof. Dr. Christoph J. Brabec together with head of division Richard Auer (Dipl.-Ing.). The division's fields of research include developing solar cell concepts and components on the basis of thin, crystalline silicon, with the aim of increasing solar cell efficiency, as well as printable solar cells and solvent-based production technology. Increased usage of high (spatial and temporal) resolution infrared imaging (lock-in thermography) in the field of photovoltaics rounds off the division's spectrum of research.

The Würzburg division, "Functional Materials for Energy Technology", is managed by Professor Dr. Vladimir Dyakonov and Dr. Hans-Peter Ebert. The field of solgel based materials presents a focus for the division's research and development, particularly functional coatings with integrated nanoparticles and porousmoulded parts. Our work in material development involves improving thermophysical, optical and energy efficiency of buildings.

ZAE Bayern has its own independent administration headed by Thomas Pharo (Dipl.-Betriebswirt). The team is based in Würzburg and deals with human resources, controlling, accounting and public relations. The central administration team also maintains liaison between the board of directors, the divisions and external partners and members. They also support and organize the work of the board, the trustees, the scientific advisory committee and the association.

Governing Bodies

The bodies of ZAE Bayern are the general meeting, the board of trustees and the scientific advisory board. At the end of 2010, the "Bavarian Center for Applied Energy Research" registered association had 40 members consisting of members ex officio, natural persons, companies, associations/institutions and honorary members. A constantly high number of members indicates the pertinence of our fields of research and the high quality of the results. This is also confirmed by the close partnership and business relations between ZAE Bayern and its members.

ZAE Bayern's general assembly took place at the ZAE Bayern division in Garching on 24th November 2010. After the annual reports were presented by chairman of the board, Prof. Dr. V. Dyakonov, and chairman of the board of trustees, Dr.-Ing. R. Hofer, the board of directors' and board of trustees' actions in 2009 were approved. The board of trustees was confirmed in an open election unanimously for further three years.

The scientific advisory board (chair: Prof. J. Garche until 02/2011, deputy chair Prof. A. Voß) consisting of 10 representatives from universities, non-university research institutions and the industry regularly conducts internal scientific evaluations of ZAE Bayern. The institute's board of directors consists of the professors V. Dyakonov (Würzburg, chairman), C. Brabec (Erlangen), U. Stimming (TUM, deputy chairman) and H. Spliethoff (TUM). The directorate of ZAE Bayern is responsible for planning research, expansion, personnel and the financing.